Where Vampires Fear To Tread
by airedalegirl1
Summary: Young Bella is cruelly snatched by the one she calls Diablo, he's cruel and merciless but someone else, someone more powerful, lurks in the shadows waiting. When it's time, Diablo tries to turn her, so what goes wrong? And what happens when revenge isn't the only thing that boils in her blood? J/B Collaboration with katandjasper
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Bella**

Something was very wrong it must be, I knew how the transformation was supposed to go, God knows I'd seen enough of them over the years and although I hurt all over and my guts felt on fire I could still think and that wasn't right. I could hear screaming somewhere, loud screaming and I knew it wasn't me. That wasn't right either, I should be the one screaming in agony, not someone else. I tried to lose myself in my memories rather than try to figure out what was happening to me. First to come to me were my parents although it must have been at least ten years since I saw them last. We were together at the picnic site, dad was firing up the barbecue while mom and I sat together making daisy chains and laughing as I told her my dreams. I was going to be a Princess when I grew up but not just any Princess, I would be a Super Princess, a kick ass Princess like Shrek's Fiona. I'd pass on the ogre looks but I thought she was a great person. Of course, thinking sensibly I wanted to be a vet. I loved animals and wanted to help them if they were sick or in pain.

Pain, the very word brought me back to the present, this pain was bad, I felt like my insides were simmering like mom's casseroles did but it wasn't the furnace type pain I should be feeling. The screaming I had heard was still there and sounds of panicked voices. This really wasn't how it was supposed to be. My dad's face came back to me then, just as he turned and looked at us smiling to see me with the daisy chain around my neck but then his expression changed. I didn't want to remember the rest of that day but I was stuck in the memory as the three people stepped out of the trees still in their shadow and stared at us. I felt terrified as mom pulled me close and my dad left the smoking barbecue to join us.

The next thing I remembered clearly was the sight of my dad flying across the picnic site like superman but unlike Superman he hit a tree and there was a horrible cracking sound then he flopped to the ground and I can still remember my mom's screams and the way she held me tight against her. One of the men walked slowly over to my dad and knelt down beside him then pulled him up like a rag doll and started to do something to his throat. Mom screamed again and the other man pulled her up grabbing me in cold hard hands and almost throwing me to the third figure who took me and held me struggling as the other man said something in a whisper to my mom then opened his mouth and sank his teeth into her neck. She began to scream but it didn't last long, soon she was limp in his arms and he turned as I continued to scream for him to let her go. I stopped suddenly as I saw his mouth was red and my mom's neck had been ripped open, he had drunk her blood! The realization of that was too much for my child's mind to accept and I passed out. The trouble was I had to wake up again and when I did the three creatures, monsters, in reality, were still there and I was their captive.

I had been with these creatures, murderers, monsters for many long, years now, and he, Diablo, made sure I understood that one day I would become one of them. I had seen others drained of their blood to feed the vampires which was bad enough but worse was the plight of those they chose to become vampires like themselves.

I had seen many transformations over the years which is how I knew that mine was not going according to plan. If I had been truly transforming then I would be writhing in agony, screaming and hoping to die to escape the pain. I wouldn't be able to think as clearly as I was and I wondered what had gone wrong as well as what Diablo and the others would do when they discovered I was not becoming a vampire like them.

My worth had been in the gift they said I possessed which would become apparent when I became a vampire. Something had stopped them from changing me as a little girl. They had waited until I was "old enough" and now the time had come but it hadn't worked. Diablo had told me he would be changing me, he counted the days down enjoying my fear as it intensified, he loved nothing more than to torture people, to hear their screams and his girlfriend La Rossa was only too happy to go along with him. I think she was crueler even than him but she was also nervous around him, he had a terrible temper. I'd seen him rip another vampire to pieces for arguing with him and both La Rossa and Serpiente were very careful around their leader. Of the three who has become my "Family" Serpiente was the least cruel and horrible although he frightened me just as much with his hair like snakes and vivid red eyes.

I tried to remember my home, my real home but through the stabbing pains which were slowly becoming less severe all I could see was the place I had called home for the last eight or nine years. I lived in a cabin with one small window too high up to see out of unless I stood on the chair and a door that was locked most of the time. It was cold and dusty, there were no pictures, no rugs on the floor only a small rickety table to eat on, a chair, a wooden chest to store my clothes and a bed with some dull gray blankets and a sleeping bag. Serpiente had bought me a few books, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens and assorted comics which were my only friends.

I had some colored pencils and plain paper and started writing all my memories of my life with mom and dad but had to stop when they made me cry. The only thing I had from that life apart from my memories was my bracelet they had bought me for my birthday, my eighth birthday and I held on to it tightly like some magical talisman. That would prevent me ever forgetting them.

At first, I had tried to run away but I couldn't get away, they could run much faster than me and even smell where I had gone. Diablo would play with me, allowing me to get fast enough to think I might make it before appearing nonchalantly in front of me, and then grabbing me and dragging me back screaming and kicking. After he became bored with that I was locked up, it was less trouble for them but it gave me time to brood.

I vowed that one day when I was older and stronger, maybe even a vampire myself I would hunt down my three captors, these demons who tortured me day and night with their violence and blood-letting and I would make them pay dearly for all they had done. But not only them but every vampire in this world. I had wondered at first if these three were just the evil side of vampirism but Diablo had assured me all vampires were the same. Over the years, I had seen he was telling the truth. I had been forced to watch as new vampires hunted down humans who had been captured and thrown into the arena he had built here. I heard their screams as they were pursued, played with like a cat torments a mouse and smelled their blood as they were pulled limb from limb or drained.

They all hunted and tortured humans and enjoyed it so every vampire I could hunt down would die screaming in agony, I would find a way to do that, to save other humans from the life I had been forced to endure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **Bella**

The pain was changing once more, I felt like I had been placed in an oven but that the temperature was being turned down very slowly and I was no longer cooking but I still wasn't becoming a vampire either. I could still feel my lungs expanding and dragging in air and my heart still beat albeit a little faster than it should. I'd watched enough poor souls change to understand that once the vampire poison seared its way into every cell of a human body everything stopped, the human died and the monster was born, so why was I so different?

I began to worry what might happen to me if they couldn't turn me into a vampire, after all, I'd been allowed to live this long only because of the gift I was supposed to possess. A gift no one seemed able to explain or even to understand. Would I find myself ripped to pieces like so many other humans I had been forced to watch? Or would I become a meal for Diablo, Serpiente or La Rossa? I wasn't sure which would be worst but at least I wouldn't become one of the evil damned who haunted the human subconscious and tortured their bodies until they finally gave out and died. Would all the years of torment and fear have been ultimately for nothing? Had my parents died for a lie?

I could have told Diablo he was making a mistake, I wasn't special, I had no gift, but I wished right now that I did, that I could snap my fingers and make every vampire writhe in agony before burning to ash on its own individual pyre.

Maybe if I could escape I could get my revenge somehow, kill every single vampire I could find and dance around their ashes, it was a wonderful dream but hardly likely. I knew how hard it was to elude capture by them, I'd tried often enough myself in the past. My world now was these four walls and if I didn't become a vampire would they leave me here to rot?

Maybe I could escape, though, after all, I was older now and I'd seen so much more. If I could sneak out while they were feeding I might stand a chance. Vampires became totally fixated by the scent of human blood, they fell into a frenzy which didn't end until they had finished draining the humans.

All I needed was a way to break out of this room when they were feeding and to run as far and as fast as I could before they noticed I was missing. It was a plan….or maybe just a wonderful dream, after all, dreams were all that kept me sane all these years.

My favourite was when I trapped the demons who had killed my parents so viciously in a deep pit they couldn't jump out of. I would pour gasoline over them, just a little and then flick a match in, one for my mom and then one for my dad. They wouldn't die but lose limbs to the flames and then I would do the same again, over and over until they were begging for mercy, only then would I stop and leave them with limbs and faces burned away to survive in agony, unable to escape as I filled the pit in with quicklime and left them to die slowly, burned away by the lime, for being the horrific monsters they were.

I found myself able to hear them and knew they were close by waiting for the transformation to finish, for me to become like them.

"She's too quiet. I've never known a human suffer the agony of the burn this quietly. Something is wrong."

"Calm down, there's nothing wrong woman. She's special, we knew that when we snatched her, this is probably something to do with her gift."

"Didn't he give you any indication of what her gift would be?"

"You know he didn't, he only sees that she has one, not what it is. Once she becomes one of us she'll soon display her talent and then…..well, who knows."

I had recognized Serpiente asking the question, his voice deep and distinctive but it was Diablo's voice that made my blood run cold, he really was the King of the demons.

I remembered the vampire who had pointed me out, I didn't see him until my parents had been murdered before my eyes but then he appeared, a serious looking man with white hair, much older than the demons and much less frightening. I could still hear his high pitched voice and the words he said as he pointed a long white finger at me.

"She will be remarkable, mark my words, powerful beyond your wildest dreams."

Well, it seemed he had been wrong and I wondered if they would hunt him down and murder him for misleading them. He'd picked out a dud this time.

The pain was almost gone and I knew I would be waking up real soon, as a human, not a vampire! I thought of lots of ways of killing that particular vampire, the one who had mistaken me for someone special. It was ironic in a way, I found out that they had wanted me for their master so Diablo wasn't the King of the Vampires, after all, he worked for someone just like my dad had worked for his boss.

I dreamed that this all powerful vampire might come here and kill the demons and the one who had pointed me out. If he did I really hoped I would still be alive to see it even if he decided to kill me afterwards, it would be worth it to see my tormentors die and to know that at least some humans would live because they didn't.

Eventually, the pain faded to a dull ache and I knew I would have to open my eyes, to see the demons watching me, part eager part confused for they too could hear my heart beating and see my chest rise and fall. This was a victory of sorts and as I sat up I smiled to see the puzzled expressions on their faces.

They were in my room with me although close to the door and I thought I understood why. I'd seen newly awakened vampires and I knew they were dangerously unpredictable although three of them should be able to overpower one newborn. I'd seen one of Diablo's soldiers get too close to a newly wakened vampire once, it had been a terrible sight, the newborn had ripped the soldier to pieces with his hands and teeth although it was good to know that it meant there wouldn't be one more vampire in the world, he had just taken the place of the one he had destroyed.

"I told you there was something wrong, she's still human. I can hear her heart beating and it's plain she's still breathing but how is that possible?"

Diablo snarled at La Rossa and she cowered back, his temper was scary even for his friends.

"It's just taking longer, maybe that's part of her gift. We'll leave her longer. Look in on her in a few more hours."

Serpiente studied me closely,

"But surely if venom was still working on her she would be in agony, she doesn't even look uncomfortable. Maybe…"

"Go check on the others Laurent and stop trying to work things out, things you know nothing about."

Serpiente scowled and slunk out of my room giving Diablo a look that told me he would like to kill his leader as he went and once he was gone Diablo turned to La Rossa speaking so quietly I could barely make out his words although I doubted he was whispering to stop me from hearing.

"Do you think it might have something to do with what happened to the soldier who bit her?"

La Rossa shrugged,

"Do we really know what happened to him? Maybe there was something wrong with him, that's why he died and why she hasn't become a vampire."

Diablo nodded staring at me with those cold cruel ruby eyes.

"Perhaps, you think we should try again?"

La Rossa nodded then stared at him and backed away shaking her head in panic,

"Not me, I'm not risking it James and neither should you. What if there is something about her that caused his death, it was horrible."

Diablo smiled showing his white teeth coated in vampire venom,

"It was certainly interesting and maybe you are right but I cannot report a failure, we must try again."

"Who, though? Another soldier? You know the rumor of the last one's death has started to circulate, they're all nervous around her, even if you give an order…."

"No need, Laurent wasn't here when it happened, he's only just got back and I'm beginning to think he is unhappy here. This is too important to risk any leaks so…...go fetch him, he can have the honor."

La Rossa smiled and I knew she wouldn't be concerned if Serpiente died, I didn't think she cared about anyone but Diablo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Bella**

I had no idea what had happened to the vampire Diablo had chosen to change me, all I remembered was hearing screams which I thought were mine but perhaps they had been his….How could I kill a vampire, though? And kill one horribly as La Rossa had said? She was scared to bite me, well if I were responsible for killing a vampire then the one I would choose next was Serpiente. He may have been less cruel than the others towards me but I could still **(** remember him killing my parents **)** and I would love to see him go the same way.

He came back with La Rossa grinning at the honour of being the one chosen to bite me again.

"Victoria tells me you want me to turn Bella, I did offer in the beginning if you remember but you decided to do it while I was gone and chose a soldier, a bad choice on your part."

I held my breath expecting Diablo to strike out at Serpiente's rudeness but instead he just smiled and motioned towards me,

"Be my guest."

I cowered away remembering the pain of the last bite but he pulled me close,

"Don't worry Bella, it will all be over soon and you'll be just like us, hunting the humans."

He bit into my neck and I screamed then flopped to the ground feeling his venom begin circulating around my body but this time the burn only lasted a few minutes and looking up at Serpiente I saw that he was suffering more than me. His eyes were open wide and his hands were up at his mouth as he choked and gagged, looking round for help only to find his two companions observing him coldly.

"It looks like we were right, Bella is the problem but he isn't reacting the same as the soldier."

"No, look the ageing is beginning, his skin has its human hue but it's wrinkling and his hair is turning grey, James."

As I watched his dark hair became thin and grey, his skin wrinkled, he was ageing before my very eyes.

"Oh my God look, the soldier stopped when was a very old man, bent-backed and gnarled but then he hadn't been a vampire that long. Laurent is decades older and he keeps on ageing."

La Rossa was right, Serpiente was still ageing, his bones showing stark through his skin and although he was still screaming it was becoming more high pitched and he became bent double.

 **Diablo**

Something was very wrong and my master would be furious, he was eager to discover Bella's gift especially as he had been led to believe it was a powerful one. Why she hadn't completed the change I had no idea, after all, she had been bitten twice now. The first guard to be touched by her blood had not only become human once more, something I would have thought of as impossible but he had aged, only stopping when he was the human equivalent of his vampire years. If that were the case with anyone who bit her then Laurent would continue to age until he was well over a hundred human years.

Sure enough, he continued to age agonisingly and slowly over the next hour. He was in agony as his body slowly began to decay before our eyes, bones breaking through the skin as it became onion skin thin, blood flowing from fissures in it. I could only imagine what would happen to someone who had been a vampire for centuries!

I glanced over at Bella who watched us with eyes full of hatred, a look I had become accustomed to over the years. It had been fun to torture her emotionally and mentally as I couldn't touch her physically. To see a child's eyes fill with terror and revulsion was an interesting observation. She knew all vampires were evil killers and torturers of humans because that's what I wanted her to believe. She had known when the time was right she too would become one of us, one of the monsters she hated so much. Yet here she was, still human and a killer of vampires. I needed to discover how she was doing it, it appeared to be her blood that proved so caustic to vampires. We would have to be very careful around her from now on, now she knew she was dangerous to us.

She lay quiet holding the side of her neck and glaring at me. I could feel the malevolence in her look and left hastily pulling my companion with me but leaving Laurent to his fate, it was too late for him in any case.

Slamming the door closed I continued to watch as my old "friend" sank to the ground slowing turning to dust but still screaming until the last gasp of powdered lungs.

"She'd kill you given half a chance."

I turned on my companion, she sounded far too amused at that thought,

"Then you'd better hope I never tire of you or I might just throw you in there."

She scowled at me, like our other companion Laurent she was always a little unsure of me and I liked that, I didn't want anyone to be sure of what I might say or do.

Besides I had far more important things to think about right now, two vampires were dead at Bella's hands and both had died horrible torturous deaths. I needed to know how it was happening, I had to find a way to hold her securely because I was sure now she knew she was a danger to us she would try to kill as many vampires as she could and I would be top of her list. It paid to know as much as possible about your enemy and Bella certainly looked on me as her deadly enemy.

 **Bella**

The tables had turned, I had seen that in Diablo's eyes, in the way he couldn't wait to get out of here. I could kill vampires, turn them back to human form and their real age. Finally, I had a way of getting my revenge, if that is I could persuade Diablo and La Rossa to come close enough.

Serpiente had died as a result of biting me, so had the first vampire so it must be my blood that was deadly to vampires, how deliciously ironic!

There was a downside to this, though, I was still human and as such I was vulnerable to many things, fire, a knife, even a bullet and if Diablo was really scared he might try to kill me. However, he wasn't the boss and his boss wanted me alive, wanted my gift whatever that might be, I doubted any vampire would consider my ability to change and kill vampires a remarkable and sought after one. So, was there more? Did I have yet another gift that I knew nothing about?

I decided there was only one thing I could do, escape. If I could break free of my prison I would make it my mission in life to kill every vampire I could hunt down. In fact, I wouldn't even have to hunt them down, I had the perfect lure, the scent of my own blood. If that had smelled tainted then they wouldn't have bitten me in the first place, no it appeared my blood was just as alluring as any humans and it would attract any vampires in sniffing distance.

Looking around I knew it wasn't going to be easy to escape, I'd tried often enough. My room was a secure prison, the only way out was through the door or the high window that even now I had to stand on a chair to reach. The door was out of the question, it was always guarded but the window….I lifted up my chair and placed it just below the window climbing onto it to examine the bars. They were metal but it was old and rusty and the masonry around it crumbling in places. I tried digging at it with my fingers but that didn't work.

What I needed was a tool of some kind. If I could free some of the bars I could wriggle free and drop to the ground outside. Where I would go from there I had no idea but it was a start, a plan I could build on while I worked on the bars.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Bella**

I kept seeing Serpiente's face as it changed from vampire to human, the agony on it and the way his body slowly decayed before my very eyes. Something caught my attention then and I listened in curiously.

"It's her James, she somehow poisoned both the guard and Laurent, you saw what happened to him, he aged and died before our very eyes. It has to be her, something to do with biting her. Her blood…..it has to be. I'm not going anywhere near her, she's dangerous."

Pulling myself up to look out of the window I could see the two of them standing the other side of the arena together… but that wasn't possible, how could I hear them that far away?

I realized also that I had seen them clearly although they stood in the shadow of another building. Not only was my hearing better but I could see more clearly at greater distances than any human could. What was going on?

Could it be that by attempting to transform me Diablo had instead given me vampire senses? Could a human really see and hear like a vampire? I wondered if I had inherited any other vampire gifts, they were stronger and much faster than humans. I looked around my room, how could I find out? Moving the chair aside I tried jumping up to the sill and found it easy, I could hang on and watch what was going on outside without my arms aching too. Now this was something I could use to maybe get free from my captors.

If I could run as fast as they could, jump into trees and fight like them I might be able to get free and start killing them, it was a promise of a dream come true. What's more, if my blood was toxic to vampires I had a ready-made weapon to use against them, what would happen to Diablo and La Rossa if I bit them? The very thought of my most hated enemies turning in agony to dust made me smile, something I had rarely done over the years since I had become a prisoner.

I saw them coming back and jumped down to the ground, I didn't want them to know I had vampire skills until I was ready to escape, then they would find out just how powerful little Bella really was! I stepped back as the door opened and a young man was pushed inside, a human.

What was he here for? I waited watchfully as Diablo appeared behind him.

"We decided you might be thirsty. Maybe some warm human blood will help the change to complete."

I shook my head, no way would I drink blood but he smiled cruelly,

"Let me help you."

He grabbed the terrified man and used a long sharp fingernail to cut into the man's throat and as red blood began to run down the man's neck I felt a burning sensation in my throat and my mouth began to water. Diablo knew the effect his action had on me and his smile widened,

"Go on Bella, you know you want to."

I found myself unable to resist the allure of the man's blood and had moved forward to put my lips to his throat before I realized what I was doing. The first taste wasn't at all what I had expected, salty and nauseating, instead, it was like drinking hot coffee and I found myself sucking greedily but then I stopped. I'd had enough and there was no way I was going to kill someone by draining them of blood.

I stepped back relieved that by drinking from his neck I had not begun to change him. I may be part vampire but I was not venomous or a killer. Diablo stared angrily then pushed a soldier in,

"Finish him."

The soldier looked at me warily and I hissed in anger as he grabbed the man and wrenched him forward to fasten his teeth onto the wound. Diablo laughed seeing the human cling on to me, his fingers leaving bloody furrows in my arm. I moved forward and grabbed at the soldier but he pulled away dragging his prey outside and slammed my door closed once more.

Would they keep thrusting humans at me? And if they did would I be able to resist draining them? Yes, of course, they would but I knew I could resist the lure of human blood. I only needed a small amount to satisfy my thirst, after all, I was only part vampire and I would not become a monster like they all were. I would use my willpower to keep humans alive and annoy Diablo which made me feel even better.

 **Diablo**

Well, she might not be a full vampire but at least she had the urge to drink human blood which was something. I needed to know what was going on, how the transformation had altered her before I reported to my master. He wouldn't be happy that she hadn't fully transformed and if she was a danger to vampires he would be even less happy. He had high hopes for Bella and her gift but we still had no idea what this gift was, surely not her toxic blood? Perhaps all she needed was more human blood to finish the job, it was worth a try.

I noticed the soldier who had finished draining Bella's human was staggering about, what the hell was wrong with him? I called him over but he seemed to have trouble getting to me, he was rubbing his eyes and groaning.

"What's the matter with you? Pull yourself together."

"My eyes, I can't see properly, they're burning, my skin is burning too. My face."

I pulled away his hands and sure enough his eyes looked sore, a muddy brown colour and the skin on his face was patchy, no longer white in places but a greyish pink.

What the hell was going on? I thought about it, Bella hadn't bitten him but she had been bleeding when he pulled free of her. I snatched his hand as he began to moan piteously and turned it palm up. The palm was discoloured, pitted as if it had been in contact with acid or something although I knew of no acid that could attack vampire skin…..not until now that was.

Among the discolouration were smears of Bella's blood. I stood watching as the soldier sank to his knees only glancing up as I heard Victoria questioning me. I explained my theory and she gasped horrified,

"You mean even Bella's blood on our skin is toxic to our kind?"

"It certainly appears so, this is going to make her very dangerous if she finds out."

I looked over to her prison, she couldn't see out or hear our conversation but I felt uneasy.

As we continued to watch the soldier he began to scream and writhe on the ground as if going through the transformation again and perhaps he was, perhaps Bella's blood on his skin was turning him back into a human. He'd been with me only a couple of years and had been in his twenties when I changed him so it would be interesting to see what happened, would he stop ageing and live? Others came to watch drawn by the noise and watched until the screaming became less noisy, more groans of pain instead and the soldier staggered to his feet bent over in pain. He was human once more, I could hear his heartbeat and see him breathing.

It had taken a little over half an hour for him to become human once more but it appeared he was still in severe pain, so she was even more dangerous than I had thought, she only needed to get her blood on a vampire's skin to turn him back and leave him in agony.

"Ray, Colleen, take him away and watch him. I want to know the moment there is any change."

Victoria looked at me puzzled,

"You're keeping him alive? Why?"

"Why? Because I want to know the outcome. Will he live or die?"

Once I knew I would have to report to my master, he would expect to know everything, not just half a story. Would he still want Bella if she was so dangerous? Especially as I still had no idea what this remarkable gift she was supposed to possess was. Of course, if we could tame her Bella would be the ultimate weapon, a vampire killer, what a coup!

 **Bella**

There was something happening outside, not that screams were an unusual sound here. More often than not some poor human was screaming as they died or were drained or sometimes the sounds came from a soldier who had disobeyed an order or one who had outlived his usefulness but this was different, it had attracted a crowd. I was hanging from the window sill watching curiously but the crowd around the noise prevented me from seeing who it was.

The noise also made it more difficult to hear what was being said but I eventually caught enough to realize it was the guard who had taken the human from me who was screaming. I hadn't bitten him so what was going on?

As I thought I rubbed my arm absently and then looked down at the bloody furrows. Had my blood gotten onto his skin? Was it possible that I could poison a vampire merely by smearing my blood on their skin? Now that sounded far better than having to bite them, far less dangerous in fact.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 **Victoria (La Rossa)**

I hated James leaving especially right now with the human girl such an unknown quantity. If only our lord and master hadn't insisted on him going on another collection run with Paris. I was glad however that the problems with Bella meant I wasn't going to accompany him.

While Paris was very good at locating new gifts he was the creepiest man I had ever met and I hated being in his company. Instead, I would stay here with the human vampire killer and orders to feed her human blood in the hopes that enough would kick start her transformation into a vampire.

He hadn't been gone long before Bella started, she was refusing to drink blood although a selection of humans had been pushed into her room. When her guard came in to tell me she'd refused the third I lost my temper with him. True he would mend but it meant I was a man down which was a pain. Deciding the only way to get the bitch to do as she was told was by giving it to her straight I went across pushing the other guard out of the way and barging straight in.

A human stood cowering against the wall while Bella sat calmly writing in her journal or whatever the hell she called it.

"What's wrong Bella? Not to your taste?"

She looked up glaring at me, hatred, now that was an emotion I understood.

"I don't need human blood to live and I refuse to kill a human. You can't make me."

I smiled, that sounded like a challenge.

"Really? Well, let's see shall we? From now on you'll be getting no food and no water until you start behaving."

 **Bella**

I wasn't sure who I hated more, Diablo or her. I knew she meant what she had said but I would hold out as long as I could. I might even manage to get out of this hell-hole before I became weak with hunger or lack of water. I had been trying to loosen the bars at the window but there were problems, the bars were not as weak as I had thought and I couldn't afford to make any noise that might alert my guards to what I was doing.

Unfortunately all the soldiers were in camp for the next few days so I was unable to attempt anything and although the lack of food didn't really bother me yet the lack of water did. The human body could not last long without water and I found myself becoming weak and fuzzy headed. By day three I was feeling really ill and when, my door was thrown open and a bleeding human pushed in I was unable to control myself, leaping at him before he hit the floor. I bit into his neck cringing when he screamed in pain and began to drink but after a little I realized I would kill him if I continued so I stopped stepping away and guiltily wiping the blood smears from my face mumbling an apology.

"Finish him off."

I shook my head as La Rossa snapped the command at me,

"No, I'm not a killer like you."

"Well, if you don't then I guess I'll have to."

She yanked his arm pulling it from its socket and causing him to scream louder. Smiling she twisted his other arm and I heard the sound of tearing flesh.

"Leave him alone."

She looked at me intently,

"You had your chance Bella, you could have killed him yourself much less painfully but you refused so now…...he dies my way."

I closed my eyes as she wrenched harder but I couldn't keep his screams out or the feel of warm blood splashing my face. Mercifully after a couple of minutes, it was all over and I opened my eyes just in time to see his poor broken body dragged from my room leaving a trail of fresh blood.

The next day was a repeat of the horror and she pointed out that it would be repeated again and again until I took responsibility and killed them myself.

"You should consider it Bella, you'd be so much more merciful after all."

She was right of course and after two more days of watching humans tortured to death after I refused to drain them, I knew I couldn't stand it any longer. I was still trying to break through the bars but I didn't think I could make it out before the next human was due to die so it was quite a relief when most of the soldiers went out on patrol to collect food for them all and I was able to work on the bars unhindered.

I pulled the last one free and was about to slip through when the one guard who was still alert came round the corner and saw me. He shouted the alarm and grabbed me as I spat at him struggling to break free. As I opened my mouth to bite him he fell back but as he did so he shoved me back into my room and then the others were all around La Rossa striding towards them demanding an explanation.

After that, I was guarded more closely by guards carrying guns with orders to shoot to stop me not kill. My bars and door were replaced with electrified mesh and my torture started again but this time from outside my room. For some reason, no one wanted to get close to me, was it because I had threatened to bite the guard who stopped my escape? I had no idea but I was forced to kill the humans myself by draining them just so their deaths were quick and relatively pain-free. I couldn't watch her torture any more innocents.

The sad thing was that it didn't matter how much blood I drank, it made no difference, I was still only half vampire. La Rossa had examined the bars that I had bent and eventually broken and suspected I had more than human strength but she couldn't prove it. I thought she may suspect I had other vampire traits but I was very careful not to let on I could hear or see anything a human couldn't, that was my small victory, keeping little secrets from the red headed bitch.

 **Victoria**

Bella was turning out to be a lot more trouble than I had anticipated although at least she was now draining humans as James had instructed, not that it made the least difference, she still had a heartbeat although much slower and that human chest kept rising and falling.

The most worrying developments were her new strength, after all, no human could have bent those bars and the new problem with her bodily fluids.

The guard who had caught her trying to escape hadn't been bitten, I made sure of that but still he began to turn back into a human, as slowly and agonisingly as the last who had only gotten some blood smeared on his skin. Between bouts of screams I questioned him and managed to make out that Bella had spat at him so it seemed her saliva was as toxic to vampires as her blood which was much more worrying.

Spittle could carry quite a way, Bella was far more dangerous than we had thought although I wasn't convinced she was aware of this yet. What it meant was that her prison had to be reinforced. Electricity would still slow her down, so would a bullet if necessary and there was a blanket order that no one went within fifty feet of her unaccompanied. At least I would know if she used her saliva or even cut herself and flicked blood at any of my men.

My next problem was what and how to tell James, he would be furious she had come so close to escaping but I doubted he would accept my fears that she was just too dangerous to be allowed to live.

 **Bella**

I was glad I hadn't allowed her to see I had other vampire traits or I would never have heard the reason for my new prison security. It had never occurred to me that my saliva too could be poisonous to vampires but when I heard her tell my guards I understood everything including the fact she thought me too dangerous to live. I doubted Diablo would let her kill me and she was far too scared of him to go behind his back but what if his master decided the same?

Would I have been through all this for nothing? No, I had scores to settle and I intended living long enough to settle them. I would find another escape route and then Diablo and La Rossa had better watch their backs along with any other vampires I could find. I hadn't been given the gift of death to vampires for nothing, I could rid the human world of the monsters if only I could get away before Diablo returned.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **Diablo (James)**

My master was not happy but then I hadn't exactly expected him to be although blaming me wasn't helping anything.

"What about her gift? Do you really think Paris would have tracked her down and pointed her out to you because she could kill vampires with her blood?"

"No, but so far I haven't seen any sign of a gift, just her toxic blood. Have you ever heard of that before?"

"No, if I had then so would Aro Volturi and do you think she would still be in our hands? There has never been another like her but I want to know what gift she possesses that will be of use to me."

"Maybe Paris thought you could do with a deadly assassin, Bella would be perfect provided you could keep her alive long enough that is."

"Ah yes, your other failure. Surely it is not beyond your capabilities to keep the girl safe and transform her?"

"I tried, we tried every way we can think of but she just won't become a vampire. Listen, perhaps Paris got it wrong, maybe she isn't going to be of any use to you. She's certainly dangerous."

"Perhaps you are too scared of her to work out what is going wrong. Have you tried feeding her human blood?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid. She's been bitten twice by two different vampires and both have died as a result of coming in contact with her blood. Another soldier died purely from getting her blood on his skin. I'm not sure you understand just how dangerous she really is."

"Would you like me to find someone else to run my operation?"

His voice was smooth and placid but I shivered, understanding the threat hidden in the question.

"No, of course not."

"Then I suggest you get back to your base as soon as you finish your mission and work out what is going wrong James."

I nodded and turned to leave but he hadn't quite finished with me,

"By the way, are you sure your mate is equal to the task of watching over the girl?"

He had never liked Victoria and this was his way of reminding me of the fact,

"She can handle it, I vouched for her."

"Yes, you did, remember that James. I would hate for her to fail and prove you a liar or a fool."

I was relieved when he finally dismissed me but there was more bad news waiting when I got outside and found a message waiting for me from Victoria. Deciding that speaking to her about a problem this close to my master was probably not a good idea I decided to get my men away and talk to her as we travelled to pick up Paris. I would be having a word with him too, just in case he had erred when pointing out Bella as a gift, especially as she had been so young at the time.

When I gauged we were far enough away I rang Victoria to find her unnerved. I listened in silence as she told me of Bella's escape attempt and the death of the soldier who had only been touched on his skin by Bella's saliva. Things were just getting more dangerous.

"You mean he never came in contact with her blood?"

"No."

"Do you think she understands what happened?"

"I have no idea and I don't intend getting close enough to find out James. You know what will happen if she manages to escape don't you? She'll come straight for us. I don't even know what vampire traits she has now apart from strength, a human couldn't have bent those bars. You need to make him understand that it's way too dangerous to keep her alive."

"Don't lecture me, I understand and I have spoken to him but he's adamant about her. I'm going to speak to Paris when I pick him up."

"Paris? You have another collection? How long will you be away? I'm not happy being left here with her James."

"I won't be long, in the meantime keep your distance and make sure she's secure. If anything else happens, call me."

I cut her off before she could say anything else, sometimes she annoyed me because I knew she was as capable as I was at keeping the men in order and Bella under control, she just hated it when we were apart.

Unfortunately, this job for my master meant many such absences and I had hoped she might get used to it but I was wrong. Still, I would speak to him again, he needed to know the latest news on his special project.

As I expected he was intrigued rather than concerned,

"So, our little girl has a savage bite, not only her blood but her saliva too is toxic, she sounds like just the weapon I need if we can find a way to control her. Victoria had increased the security around her I take it?"

"Of course, but it's not easy from a distance."

"I understand that, however, what I don't understand is why Bella is so determined to kill all around her. I would have thought after all these years she would see you as a father figure James. Is there something you haven't told me?"

"Like what?"

"Have you been too harsh on the girl?"

I laughed, harsh on a human? Wasn't that the way between vampires and humans? Sometimes my master could be such a blind fool!

"She's a difficult child, always has been, always will be. She is also incredibly dang…"

"Enough. Keep her safe and find a way to finish her transformation, I'm losing patience with you. Try another vampire'S venom, more human blood, perhaps you should contaminate her drinks and food with venom too, make the dose as high as possible."

"I will"

"And report back to me as soon as there is something to tell."

Great, now I had to lose more of my men to Bella and find a way to harvest venom, it was like milking cows, the men were going to be really happy at that thought.

 **Victoria**

I couldn't believe James new orders,

"You want me to sacrifice more of our soldiers? They already know there's something really odd about the girl, it's not going to be easy to persuade anyone to get close to her."

"Then don't persuade, order and if that doesn't work make a few newborns and throw them to her, they'll be only too happy to bite the little bitch. I would have thought you'd be more worried about getting the men to donate venom."

I smiled at that thought, there were plenty of ways of persuading men to give up their venom and I had a few female soldiers who wouldn't mind helping out with that detail if necessary but they'd probably be happier to donate venom than go in and bite Bella, I could point out the choice and let them decide.

A patrol had just come in with some new humans and I picked out the best for our prisoner, a young woman, small and terrified. I knew Bella wouldn't leave her to my kind of justice and I was right although she didn't drain her, only drank as much as she wanted then snapped the girl's neck. I would have to alter the rules slightly or she wouldn't be getting enough human blood in her system.

Her next meal was a man, strong and spirited, I wondered how she would cope with him. James would have gone crazy if he'd seen my choice, worried she might be harmed by him but I was confident she was strong enough to look after herself and I was correct. I had pointed out that if she didn't drain her victim I would choose another and tear my choice to pieces so she could see and hear.

Oh, how she hated me but she did as she was told and drained him fully, her very first correct vampire kill. Perhaps now she would complete her transformation and join us in our world.

Although I watched eagerly there was no change and I ordered the body removed eventually then left Bella to her own thoughts. I wondered how I would feel if I were her, with her history, all the horror's she had seen and those she had been forced to become a part of.

I wasn't sure I wanted to be anywhere near the girl even if she did become a full vampire, I was sure her very first victims would not be humans but the two vampires she hated most of all, James and myself. I was beginning to hope that our master would give the order for her to be destroyed before she turned…...or found a way out of here.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 **Bella**

I hadn't expected to find a way out of my prison with the help of a human but that's exactly what happened. As soon as La Rossa or whichever guard was watching me was sure I was draining the poor human they had pushed inside my room for me they would lose interest and I found I had time to search the corpses before they were taken out to be disposed of.

I felt awful robbing the dead but I was hoping to find something I could use, a weapon maybe. I had collected together some money, a cell phone that I hastily switched off and hid under my bed and finally my most treasured possession, a knife with a folding blade.

Although I knew no one to phone I did know the basics of using a cell phone and I knew it could be used to get information. I'd seen Diablo search for a place he didn't know and find out the best way to get there. I'd also heard music coming from his phone and longed to hear more. I could vaguely remember my mom singing to me when I was little although I couldn't remember the words just the tunes which I would sing to myself when I couldn't sleep which was usually after Diablo and his friends decided to play torture the humans. If I hummed loudly enough I could almost believe I couldn't hear their screams.

Now I had a weapon, I just needed a way to use it. Of course, I didn't need it to kill **vampires. A** ) it wouldn't penetrate vampire skin and **B** ) I had something far more deadly running through my veins of but it might just help me escape from this room I had been forced to call home for so long.

I knew enough about electricity to understand that if I touched the wires with my hand or the metal blade of the knife I would seriously hurt myself if not die although I doubted the current was enough to kill me, they wanted me alive. But, this knife had a thick rubber handle and that had given me an idea. If I could ram the blade of the knife into the wires it should short circuit them and then I could make a run for it but not before killing as many of the vampires as possible. I just had to hope the rubber was thick enough and thank Serpiente for the encyclopedias he had put in my room one day. I'd learned a lot from those thick books.

The knife, if the blade survived the current could also help me again, if I cut myself I would have plenty of poison blood to kill all the soldiers here. It was just a pity Diablo wasn't here, I would have loved to watch him scream in agony as he aged and then finally died before me. Still, I could hunt him down later and take my time with him, for now, I would need to move quickly if I wanted to escape.

I waited for a good opportunity, I knew a patrol would be coming back soon and those left behind would congregate around them thirsty and eager to feed. No one would be very interested in me for a while and I would take the opportunity to act.

La Rossa came to torment me, a habit she rather enjoyed, telling me that they might just decide I was too much trouble to keep much longer and then outlining different ways they could kill me. It wasn't easy, though, not when I knew my blood was toxic to vampires, drowning or burning alive were her favourite choices and she delighted in describing in detail the death of a human by burning. She knew such details that I was sure she had seen a human burned at some point but while she was a vampire or if earlier during her human life I had no idea.

The picture she conjured up in my mind was enough to make me feel physically sick and I found it impossible to clear it away for some hours while trying to force myself to stay awake so I wouldn't miss out on my chance of escape. How could anyone revel in seeing another living creature tortured? Watch as their skin blackened and curled, they screamed as feet and then legs began to burn away and drip fat into the fire feeding the flames, had anyone really done this to a human before? Of course, I knew they had, I read about witches being burned alive, traitors and heretics, most people these days thought torture to be a thing of the past, but then they had never come across vampires.

I was almost nodding off when I heard noises in the arena and saw the soldiers making for the gate of the compound, the patrol was coming back and now was my chance. I pulled the knife from beneath my bed and said a silent prayer that my plan would work and not result in my own death although even that was preferable to more of the life I had led all these years. If not for my burning desire to avenge my parent's deaths and kill all vampires I think I might have tried to kill myself before now.

I waited until the noise rose even higher and then jammed the knife blade through the wires that made up my door. There was a loud bang and a cloud of smoke, the smell of burning and I looked down to see the thick rubber smouldering but it had worked, there was a large hole in the mesh and I touched the edge gingerly, there was no current running through it any longer. I pushed my way free noticing to my delight that no one was looking, they were all focused on the gate.

Dragging the blade across both palms I ran forward across the arena and towards the gate touching every vampire I came close to, smearing blood on their faces or hands not even feeling the pain from my self-inflicted cuts.

As my blood began to affect the first of my victims and they began to scream others turned looking confused and frightened which turned to terror when they saw I was loose among them.

I struck out right and left, spitting in the faces of those before me who were falling over each other to get away from me. I saw La Rossa up ahead straining to see what the problem was over the heads of the incoming patrol and finally our eyes met.

Her's opened wide with shock but she didn't run away, she knew what Diablo was capable of and how angry he would be if I escaped. She called some of the soldiers to her and began shouting orders. They had two electrified sticks they sometimes used to torture captives and she was sending men to get them so I concentrated on getting there first. Perhaps I should be running, freedom beckoned, but I wanted revenge first and the more vampires I killed now the fewer would be hunting me later on.

I reached the storeroom door at the same time the first of the soldiers did and spat at them slashing at my palms to draw more blood then waving my hands around to splash blood over as wide an area as possible. The screams of my first victims were rising now and those just touched by blood or spittle were running to the water barrels, desperately trying to wash the liquid off before it could work but I could see by their expressions it was a forlorn hope, everyone I had touched was now beginning to feel the agony and those I had spat on were looking at the others in horror, knowing they would be next.

I looked for La Rossa, she was running towards me and I smiled, Serpiente was dead and she would be next, the second of the deadly trio who had murdered my parents and kept me in horrific captivity all these years. That would leave only Diablo and I would find him later, for now, I wanted to finish and get away from the compound before he returned or learned of my escape.

Seeing I was after her La Rossa paused then seeing she didn't have enough backup still standing she turned to run.

"NO!"

I screamed and leapt at her knocking her to the ground and twisted her head around to look into her eyes,

"This is for my parents you bitch"

I dripped blood from my palm directly into her mouth as she gasped,

"I hope you die in agony and go to hell where you belong. I'd love to stay and watch but I have other targets on my list. Just so you know, I intend to kill every vampire I can find, you helped create a vampire killing machine. How's that for justice."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 **Bella**

I began to run leaving the dying vampires behind me, all in too much agony to attempt to follow me and as I ran I smiled to myself, it felt good to be the one handing out the torture for once. I had no idea where I was going or what I would do when I stopped. I hadn't been out in the human world since I was a child and now I was grown up, well about seventeen as far as I could calculate.

I knew I needed to get far enough away that I would be safe in the short term from Diablo. I needed time to rest, eat and work out a strategy but my one goal was to kill every vampire on the planet, one at a time.

 **James (Diablo)**

Paris was worse than useless when it came to information about the girl.

"Diablo, how can I tell you what I don't know? I merely trace the humans with gifts and point them out to you so you can collect them for our master. You both know I have no way of knowing what the gift is, just if it is weak or strong, useful or not, I barely remember the girl."

I told him of the toxicity of her blood and asked him if that might be her gift.

"I doubt our master would find it funny if that were the case, you know he has no sense of humour Paris."

He smiled,

"True but he knows my limitations Diablo and who knows, maybe it was something you did that turned her blood toxic."

I frowned, was he trying to throw suspicion on me? I'd have to ensure he didn't, our master could be utterly ruthless and if he thought for even one minute that I was responsible for losing a valuable gift I might find myself a victim of his wrath.

"Of course, if he was at all concerned he could bring in Eleazar Denali. Not only can he find gifts but he can read them too. He could tell what the girls gift is."

I laughed,

"Eleazar retired years ago. I doubt he would be interested in working for anyone. I would imagine Aro Volturi keeps a close watch on him. I'm amazed he was allowed to live after deciding to retire. Do you think he has something on Aro? That would be something."

Paris sneered,

"Aro is proud of his darker deeds, what on earth could he have so terrible he would want to hide it? No, I think Eleazar is one of Aro's few real friends. Anyway, to business, we're almost there."

 **Bella**

I ran for as long as I could splashing through any water I came across to hide my scent from diablo knowing how good a tracker he was. I knew my own scent was changing but whether because of the strange chemical composition of my blood or the fact I was now half vampire I neither knew nor cared, I just hoped it might help to confuse him. I wasn't ready to face Diablo yet, I wanted time to heal and try out my natural weapon on other vampires first. I was even grateful I had inherited some vampire speed, but finally, I had to stop. I had reached a road but I dare not try to flag a car down, I had no idea where I was or where I wanted to go. I had no belongings and I must look a mess with slashed palms that still bled a little and hurt like crazy.

I was worried anyone looking at me might call the police and Diablo might be able to trace me that way. What I needed was somewhere to hide, somewhere I could clean up and sleep for a few hours before going on. I had money so perhaps I could find somewhere to stay for a few days. I remembered staying at a motel with my parents a few times on trips and although I had no idea how expensive such a room would be I must surely have enough for a night or two with all the paper bills I had taken from my victims.

I walked parallel to the road for a while in the darkness, glad of my heightened sight, another advantage of being at least partly vampire. Eventually, I saw a building, small and square with boarded up windows and a barred door. I couldn't hear anyone close by so I crept closer and found I could just get my fingers under one of the boards across the window facing away from the road.

Vampire strength helped me pry it loose and I climbed inside pulling the board back and wedging it as best I could. Inside I could tell it was a disused restroom, probably from a long disused picnic site.

The floor was dusty but dry and when I turned one of the taps a thin stream of discoloured water began to fill the basin so I waited until it trickled to a stop then used the water and part of my tee shirt to wash and bind up my hands and wash my face. There was a mirror of polished metal above the basin and I stared at myself in its reflection. I didn't have a mirror in my room but there was one in the ablutions block where I had been taken to shower before my toxicity had been discovered.

I looked a mess, my hair was tangled and there were dark circles around my eyes. My tee shirt was dotted with blood from my cut hands, I remembered lifting them up and shaking them to splatter as many soldiers as possible. My jeans were bloody too and I knew if I wanted to find shelter, proper shelter where I could relax and make plans I would have to clean up first. No one in their right mind would rent a room to someone who looked like I did right now. Still, it could wait a few hours, it would be dark then and I could move about without being so noticeable then. In the meantime I curled up in a ball and slipped into an exhausted sleep, tiredness overcoming my thirst for revenge and fear of being tracked down….. for now.

 **James (Diablo)**

Having caught the latest gift, a young guy who didn't give us any trouble once he understood it was come along or die I was relieved to ditch Paris and report to my master that the project had been a success. I also managed to imply that Paris was questioning the identity of his employer. I was the only one who knew his real identity and had been sworn to secrecy on pain of death. Whether it would get the smug bastard in trouble I had no idea but it might stop the master taking too much notice of any sly digs Paris tried to put in about me.

I didn't know how much longer this collection and instructing would go on for. I was sick of babysitting the gifted vampires and keeping them apart from each other in separate locations. I thought the secrecy and security might be a little overdone but I wasn't the boss, I just followed orders. It would be good to finally face our enemy and kick some ass. I wasn't a teacher and if I'd known just how long this was going to take maybe I would have refused the commission.

My biggest problem was the girl Bella, she'd been a pain in the ass as a kid, fancy expecting me to bring up a human girl in a camp full of vampires, half of them newborns at any one time! The only thing was that it gave me an outlet for my more ruthless streak, I had gotten off on her tears of terror and screams of fright but as she got older she learned not to show it so much and it made it harder for me to shock or hurt her emotionally.

Frankly I was bored by the time she was old enough to be transformed and I thought I'd be glad to see the back of the human but things hadn't worked out as I expected, she was still a pain in the ass only now she was a dangerous pain.

I knew something was wrong even before we reached the compound, there was a strange tense feeling in the air and as we drove closer I could see the gates were open, someone would be in deep shit for that breach of the rules and I was surprised, Victoria was usually not this sloppy. As I jumped out I could hear low moans and cries of pain and running through the opening I saw the devastation. The ground was littered with piles of ashes and forms crawling around bent over in agony. What the hell had happened here? I couldn't see any strangers amongst the few survivors and where was Victoria?

I hunted around but couldn't find her and the survivors I tried to question were incoherent with pain. I groaned when I saw Bella's doorway, the mesh ripped apart and then I saw movement, not the jerking pain filled movements I had seen so far, this was furtive.

I lashed out knocking another door wide and grabbed the figure hiding behind it. Recognising it as one of our men I let him go and he stood up shaking with fear. It didn't take long to get the truth from him, the girl had destroyed my whole unit here and killed Victoria and was now on the run. In temper, I struck the man decapitating him and then kicked the head back inside the room he had chosen as a hiding place.

"Get yourself pulled together and see if there are any other survivors, we're going after the bitch."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **James**

I sat down in the room Victoria and I had shared and tried to work out what to tell my master. However I put it he was going to be livid, I'd lost the girl, the one he had put so much faith in as useful gift in his project. Deciding it would be best to get it over with I rang and waited for him to answer, sometimes I had to leave a message and wait for him to get back to me but I really hoped this would not be one of those occasions, I wanted to get it over with quickly. When he answered I hesitated and of course, that gave the game away.

"What's happened, James?"

"There has been an…..incident at the compound. I just arrived back and I found…."

"What?"

"They are all dead with one exception and the girl is gone. She escaped."

"You mean one human girl not only broke out of her cell but killed all your soldiers and then escaped? Who helped her?"

"No one, I told you she was lethal to vampires, all my men are either piles of ashes or human wrecks who wish they were dead, it was a slaughter."

The long ominous silence put me on edge, was he going to send someone to kill me for failing him? Anything was possible with this man. Eventually, he began to speak again, very low and measured but full of menace,

"Find her. Clear up the mess and track her down. I want her back."

"Back? You don't want me to kill her? But she's like a plague carrier for our kind. It would be more sensible to kill her and start again. I have plenty of men and we have other gifts."

"Did you not hear me, James? Find the girl and keep her safe."

"How? We can't get close or she only has to spit on us and we die in agony."

"If I have to tell you how then you are no longer of any use to me and I will replace you. I want the girl alive, is that understood?"

I understood the threat, if I couldn't get Bella back then he would send someone else to get her and kill me. All I could do was to track the little bitch down and get some human help to imprison her once more. The biggest problem would be finding her, I had no idea where she would go, she had no friends, no relatives, no home, nowhere even remotely familiar.

Still, I was a fair tracker and I knew her scent extremely well after all these years. I would want to rip the little bitch to pieces when I found her but that just wasn't going to happen, she was just too valuable alive and whole.

 **Bella**

When I woke up I wasn't sure where I was at first, I'd become used to seeing the same room over the years and this was different, scary even. I was free at last, free to hunt down and kill every vampire I could. The hunger for this was overwhelming and I forgot any idea of finding somewhere to stay, a roof over my head. Instead, I climbed back out of my shelter into the darkness of the night forest and stood to savour the air.

I detected the faint scent of a vampire, I knew that smell only too well having been immersed in it for years and I started to follow the trail. I had no idea what I would do when I found my prey, my hands were so sore I didn't think I could cut them again and I was weak from hunger and thirst but revenge drove me on.

As I approached the lights of a town I slowed, sniffing deeply I smelled the aroma of fried chicken, hamburger, and ravioli. I must be close to an area rich with restaurants or fast food outlets. The only one I remembered was the sign of the golden arches, MacDonald's but right now I could eat anything, I was so hungry it smothered my need for revenge.

Making my way slowly forward into shadowy alleyways between buildings I found myself at the back entrance of a burger bar. Deciding I had to eat and I couldn't go on the front door without causing raised eyebrows I used my vampire speed to get inside and steal some burgers and fries and a drink. I didn't even feel bad about stealing the food because I had left one of the ten dollar bills on the counter by the cash register. The food tasted wonderful and I soon finished it off along with the drink.

Once my own needs were met I went on to find my quarry having his own meal in another alley. I knew I couldn't save the human he had bitten so I waited until he was finished and then made my move. I knew I wasn't strong enough to fight him so instead I bit my wrist and smeared his neck before he could turn around and grab me.

As I turned to run he made a grab for me but I was able to wriggle free tearing my tee shirt further as I did so. He tried to follow me but my blood began its deadly course and he staggered holding his neck and deciding I should get away as quickly as I could I continued running. The feeling of elation I felt was tempered by the fact he had killed yet another human, one I was unable to save.

I had no idea how many vampires lived in the United States or how long it would be before Diablo tracked me down but I would do my best to hunt down the former and avoid the latter. Finding vampires wasn't always easy so I decided to bring them to me instead. When I found evidence of vampire activity in an area I would cut myself and then settle down to wait for him, or her, to find me. Of course, the continual cutting left me both sore and weak but it was the only way and when I had killed I would hide away for a few days and watch, just in case the monster I killed had company and only when I felt it was safe would I steal food and fresh clothes and move on. All I carried with me was the money I took from my prey and a small notebook I had stolen along with a set of pencils. In that, I made a note of every kill I made and when I filled the first page, having poisoned my tenth victim I felt a sense of pride.

The next few months I wandered keeping out of sight of humans, stealing food where I could and even a fresh set of clothes from a washing line although on every occasion I left money in its place. I found the world a strange and rather unsettling place. I hadn't come into contact with any humans other than those that were brought in for food or to be transformed and had no idea how things worked.

My memories as a child didn't help much as my parents had done most things for me and a lot I had forgotten. My lifestyle began to take its toll on me physically. I was often cold or wet and constant bloodletting weakened me further until I found myself becoming sick.

It was only a cold and sore throat but I felt weak and all I wanted to do was to lay down in the warmth somewhere. I also had a sore on one wrist where a cut had become infected and understood that if I wanted to continue my clean up of vampires I needed to look more human, enough that I could rent a room in a motel and rest for a little while. I also decided I needed a crash course in behaving as a human and the best way to do that would be to watch the TV but for that, I also needed a room.

I stole a bag and a few sets of clothes from a closed department store and filled a small shopping list I had made, things like toothpaste and soap, bewildered by the amount of choice. Then I went to clean up and change in a restroom attached to a truck stop. Sneaking in there when it was empty I was shocked by my reflection.

I had changed a great deal since escaping from Diablo. My hair was wild and matted, my cheeks hollow and my eyes too bright from fever. I hardly recognised myself any longer. No one would rent me a room the way I looked now, in fact, they would probably call the police. I certainly had some work to do if I wanted a motel room key and a warm bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

 **James**

The girl was proving more difficult to track down than I had thought. True she left a trail of dead humans, once vampires, and even a couple who were in hospital psychiatric wards, but she seemed to be following no set path. She wandered the countryside with no discernable pattern and every time I thought I was getting close she had gone by the time I arrived.

Her trail was more difficult to follow because she knew I was a tracker and was taking steps to hide her scent which was becoming more difficult to recognize too. Maybe the amount of human blood she had ingested or the venom we had pumped into her had altered her body chemistry. Whatever was doing it I had a problem picking it out from other scents, it was so faint as if being shielded as it was by water or other, stronger scents.

My master had called once to ask for an update and I had decided not to mention the corpses she had left behind, that would only annoy him more but I could tell he was impatient and I would soon be forced to admit that I hadn't been able to close in on her. She seemed to be making it her business to track down vampires and kill them. Was I on her list of vampires to kill or did she even have a list? I thought she was probably just killing any vampires she came across. It was stupid to think she might be hunting them down and executing them, she was a mere girl after all.

 **Bella**

I had done just enough to get myself a motel room although the manager looked at me suspiciously until I showed him I had the money. He made it quite clear that working girls were not welcome although it took me a while to get the gist of what he was saying. I think that probably reassured him more than any words could have. I took the key and forced myself to walk slowly to my room which was upstairs at the far end of the block.

Once inside I locked the door again and allowed myself to relax a little before checking out the bathroom and the softness of the bed. This was like a fairytale to me, a place of my own with running water, hot water, and even a kettle and mini fridge.

I felt awful but before allowing myself to sleep I first made use of the bathroom, luxuriating in a hot shower and the scent of soap and shampoo. The water ran almost black from my hair and I cringed, getting the tangles out would prove a Herculean task but that could wait. I dried myself looking down at the skinny body with ribs showing and the numerous cuts and scars from my blood letting. These stung like crazy and some were weeping again so I ripped up a shirt I had stolen and wrapped the pieces as makeshift bandages around the worst then leaving the towel wrapped around the mess on my head I crashed out on the bed and slept properly for the first time since escaping from Diablo.

When I woke up I was disorientated again, my fever was peaking and my throat so sore I could hardly manage cold water from the bathroom tap so I just flopped back on the bed and slept again this time though my sleep was full of dreams and nightmares. I was a little girl playing in a garden with my parents one minute then watching a man being ripped apart by newborns the next. This disjointed movie played over and over in my head until I finally woke again, still exhausted but cooler, my fever had finally run its course.

For two more days, I slept mostly, waking only to drink cold water and watch from my window half expecting to see Diablo at any moment. I knew I couldn't stay here too long, it wouldn't be safe but I couldn't make myself pack up and leave.

Instead, I tried to do something with my hair which was a nightmare. I had grabbed combs, a brush, and scissors when I stole the toiletries but even so it was a struggle. When the last of the tangles finally gave up the fight my scalp hurt and my wrist was aching. Looking in the mirror I decided it would have to do. I looked presentable enough although the cut was a little ragged.

Once I felt strong enough and hungry enough I plucked up the courage to visit the diner across the street. It was nerve racking although no one seemed to take any notice of me except the server who showed me to a table and handed me the menu while filling a glass with water. I looked at all the items on the menu a little overwhelmed and then chose something simple I recognised straight away burger and fries. Looking around it struck me that although this was a new experience for me it was mundane for my fellow diners. I had been robbed of all these experiences as well as being tortured for years and my bitterness towards the vampires grew even stronger.

Refusing to allow that to spoil this new experience I pushed the thought away and worked hard on fitting in. I was unused to the cutlery having only been allowed a spoon and a fork by my captors but I managed well enough and copied the truck driver at the next table wiping ,my mouth with a napkin when I finished.

The food had tasted wonderful although my shrunken stomach was protesting at its new and unexpected burden. After paying I walked slowly back to my room checking my surroundings carefully, I had been here too long, it was time to move on before Diablo caught up with me. There were just too many empty pages in my notebook yet.

I decided before I left that I would allow myself a couple of days after each kill to make sure I never became the savage I was turning into before I rented the room. It was still a wrench leaving the comfort and warmth of the motel but I had a task and it was time to get back to it.

I travelled for over a week before hunting again, just to get away from the area I had holidayed in! It didn't take long to scent a vampire in the area and I set myself up as bait in a clearing in the woods, an injured hiker, what vampire could resist such prey?

Certainly not this one but he wasn't alone and I had a fight on my hands to cope with the two of them but by smearing my blood on his lips I made sure the caustic effect of it would hit him almost immediately and once he started to scream his mate was distracted giving me ample time to make sure she too felt the effects but this time I took aim and spat into her face but not before I felt the fingers on my left-hand crunch in her grip. Still, two broken fingers was a small price to pay under the circumstances but it did teach me a lesson. In future I would be more careful, I would make sure I knew how many opponents I was going to be facing and make more sure of other bodily fluids which didn't necessitate physical contact although that gave me the most satisfaction. The craziest thing of all was that the more vampires I killed the more I wanted to kill and the more it fed my rage against them in general and Diablo in particular.

 **James**

Things were becoming serious as the trail of dead and dying vampires became longer, she was even taking on and beating couples somehow. I had procrastinated as much as I could but now I would have to come clean. My master had ordered me to furnish him with a full report on my efforts to track down the bitch and her activities. I think he ,may have heard some rumors and thought they might be connected with her.

The conversation was not pleasant, he was not willing to hear what I had to report even though I had first-hand experience of her lethal abilities.

"She is dangerous, too dangerous to be allowed to live, she's killed more than twenty nomads already."

"Because you have failed to recover her James. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Searching of course but what do I do if I find her? How do I keep her safe? How do I keep us safe for that matter? She is just too lethal to live."

"

Are you telling me that you cannot find her or that you are too afraid to find her?"

I wanted to scream, it was like talking to an idiot!

"If it's the latter then say so, James. I think I will be forced to approach someone else to find the girl. After all, we cannot afford to have dead bodies scattered about the countryside. If however another is able to find her then I can only deduce that you were dragging your heels for fear and I cannot have a coward serving me."

I was furious, call me a coward you fucker? But I was scared too, of the new threat which implied, that if I couldn't find the girl then I was dispensable. Would he send someone to kill me? I wanted to believe I was too valuable to him but in all honesty, I had no idea and that thought only served to fuel my fear of him.

 **I just want to point out that I am unable to read any of the reviews you have kindly written but FF has a problem. I have complained but so far the problem has not been resolved. Please do not stop writing them as I promise I will read every one as soon as I am able. Love Jules xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 **Carlisle**

At first, I was shocked to hear my caller's identity, I hadn't heard from him in years and when he mentioned that what he was going to tell me must remain a secret from all but my family I became wary.

"Please tell me this secret isn't going to put my family in danger, they come first, you know that."

"It could be dangerous but I promise you that if the secret gets out I will give you plenty of warning."

"From which direction will any danger be coming?"

He knew exactly what I meant and laughed,

"I think you already have an idea as to the answer Carlisle but you are the only one who might be able to help me, help a human girl who is going to get herself killed if she is discovered. It appears she has a unique quality, she can kill vampires by turning them back to human."

Now it was my turn to laugh,

"That's impossible, no one can manage that particular piece of magic."

"She can, using her blood or apparently any bodily fluids and those who survive do so in intense agony. For some reason she has gone on the rampage, killing any vampires she can find. So as you see it is vital we find and keep her safe until a cure can be found for her…..gift."

"Are there others searching for the girl?"

"Yes, but the man in charge is afraid of the girl and I think she has him in her sights. I cannot tell you much more but I do not want her killed because of her threat, there has to be another way."

I must admit the story intrigued me, a human girl with blood that could transform vampires back to human form and then kill them. What I didn't understand was my friend's involvement in it and he was unwilling to divulge too much. He did tell me that the others hunting for her also worked for him and that their leader was a man called James.

"He's a tracker but his gift seems strangely lacking when it comes to the girl Bella. I sense there is something he isn't telling me, maybe something that would explain Bella's intense desire to kill vampires but for now that must wait. Will you help me? Help the girl? I fear if James finds her first he may decide against capturing her and that would be a tragedy."

He knew even before he rang that I would say yes, helping humans was what I did and the thought of one with such a gift, such a dangerous one was doubly intriguing.

"What is it you want us to do exactly?"

"Find the girl before her secret gets out, before James tracks her down and kills her and keep her safe until you can find a way to cure her. There is something else you should know Carlisle….."

"Yes?"

"The tracker, James, he is distant kin to me. How I found out about him isn't important but I think I was misled, there is more to his story than I am aware of. He is fast, ruthless and utterly single-minded."

"What happens if we clash with him while hunting Bella down? It would be difficult to fight him too."

"Hopefully, that will not be an issue, as I say I think he is dragging his heels. I am asking for your help for two reasons, you are probably the only man I know who would be more interested in the girl than her lethal gift and you have the best fighter and a very good tracker in your "family".

"You mean Jasper? He no longer fights but I will ask if he will help me find the girl. If we do then I will do all in my power to find a cure for her "sickness" but I will not hand her over to be killed if that is not possible."

"You think there may be a middle ground? You never cease to amaze me Carlisle but so be it. After all, it will be your family who is most at risk. Call me if you get any leads."

Once he rang off I sat thinking in silence, this "Favor" would put my family in danger on so many levels. She was lethal herself and from what my friend had told me she hated all vampires and seemed to be making it her mission in life to hunt them down and kill them. This raised several questions of its own, why did she hate vampires so much? And how was it she was able to trace and get close enough to our kind to exchange bodily fluids?

Of course, the other important question was how my friend knew about the girl in the first place? What exactly was he doing with an outsider hunting gifted humans? If and when we discovered Bella's whereabouts I would ask these questions and if the answers were not to my liking then no one was taking her anywhere at any time. For now though the most important thing was to find the girl before this James did and that meant filling the family in quickly.

As expected, there were questions, mainly the same ones I had either asked or thought of after my conversation.

"I know you like to help humans Carlisle but isn't this just a step too far? What will we do with the girl if we find her? We can't touch her or get anywhere near without fear of being attacked and killed. What do you intend? Rig a net and try to drop it on her?"

"No Rosalie, I'm hoping that perhaps Jasper can help me out with that. Could you drop her from a safe distance with your gift son?"

Jasper nodded,

"Sure but what then? Do we keep her out until you find a cure? Don't forget that to find one you are going to be experimenting with a substance that can kill you horribly?"

"I hope we might be able to persuade her that we mean her no harm. That we are trying to help her."

Esme leaned forward and took my arm,

"Carlisle, if the girl is so anti-vampire that she is risking her life to kill us then perhaps you won't be able to. What then?"

"I don't know but I want to try Esme. However, I understand how dangerous this could be so I feel everyone should have a say in the decision. Esme, you first."

She looked at me biting her lip, something she always did when she was under stress.

"I know this is passing the buck but I think I will vote with the majority….if there is one. Sorry."

Edward and Alice sitting together and probably having already seen this coming and discussed it between them both nodded,

"I'd just like to say I didn't see this coming, something is blocking the girl out. I should have seen her as soon as your friend decided to call on you for help but I didn't and that worries me. Edward and I are both voting against. Sorry Carlisle but I think it's too dangerous for us all."

I nodded accepting their views and agreeing silently that it was an unforeseen problem that Alice couldn't see the girl. It could have helped us greatly. I really thought I had lost the vote when I turned to Rosalie and Emmett for their decision but Rosalie astounded me.

"I think we have to try. She must be terrified and confused finding out vampires exist and that she can kill them. Something drove her to this, I don't suppose she is a killer by nature. We should help if we can."

Emmett voted with her which gave me three votes for and two against, it was down to Jasper to swing Esme. If he voted with Edward and Alice then I thought Esme would side with them and I could see he understood that as he smiled.

"Looks like it's down to me then Carlisle. I guess since you took me in, about as dangerous a creature as you could find I should follow your example and offer the girl help but there's a lot of questions that need answering and I'm not sure your friend knows all the answers so I'd like to bring one more person in on the secret, Darius."

I nodded, of course, if anyone could find answers it was him and I didn't imagine my friend would object too strenuously as it meant we agreed to help, in fact, I wouldn't bother telling him just yet, deciding to wait until we found the girl before stirring things up.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

 **Carlisle**

We couldn't act until we had some idea where the girl was which meant waiting for Darius to find something or for my friend to call back with more information. I rather hoped he would because I wanted the answers to a few more questions like how he was involved with the girl who was such a secret and what he was up to. This was so out of character for him that it made me nervous but I couldn't ring him, I had agreed not to so all I could do was to wait.

 **Darius**

My initial reaction was to refuse my help, not because the request came from The Major, we were friends and had helped each other out over the years but because of who the request had originated from. However, if this girl really was as dangerous as Carlisle had been lead to believe then I couldn't afford to turn The Major down. It was important to find out where she was, who she was and hopefully what could be done to detoxify her before one of us ran into her unknowingly.

I was working virtually blind but then that was nothing new, people only came to me when they had run out of other options and then it was down to me to use my magic to solve whatever the problem was. This was stickier than most because I knew nothing except we were hunting a human girl called Bella who was loose somewhere in the continental USA and being pursued but not willingly by a tracker named James.

Fortunately, I'd heard of him so first I tried tracing him and soon came across some interesting intelligence. He had been keeping interesting company, Paris, the gift hunter and he had several bases scattered about, the main one being in Arizona although when I utilized my spy in the sky I found the camp deserted. Now, why would he suddenly up and leave after maintaining the base for more than ten years? Did it have anything to do with the human girl?

I also discovered something far more alarming, a trail of dead bodies leading from a town some fifty miles from the base and meandering all over the place. Some of the bodies that had been discovered were elderly humans with no clue as to how they died or signs of heart attacks. Others were younger but these too had internal organs that had failed catastrophically with no clue as to why.

I also came across a piece on the internet discussing the strange piles of ash that had been appearing in different places. The stuff turned out when sampled to be ashes, the ashes of ancient bones that had crumbled. So, I was on the right track, these were the trail the human was leaving behind, bodies or the remains of them, presumably from vampires who had been turned long ago and had returned to their real human ages when in contact with her blood.

I made a stab at where she might be headed next having found signs that a nomad was hunting there and contacted The Major with the news, also explaining what I had found out about her "victims" and James and his deserted base.

"Do you want me to do some digging on this James character?"

"Sure, Bella too. Haven't you found out anything about her yet?"

"How exactly Major? Apart from the fact she is young, human, and fucking dangerous, I have little to go on. We don't know where she comes from, how long she's been with James or anything else. I do think the deserted base might be connected to her, though, she must have escaped and killed whoever was there at the time, no mean feat in itself."

 **Carlisle**

When Jasper told me Darius thought he might have found the area where the girl was active at the moment I heaved a sigh of relief suddenly realizing how tense I had been at the thought she might be dead before I got a chance to see her. We drove out to the airport and took a plane south then split into two groups one containing Jasper, Emmett , Esme, and Rosalie and the other myself, Edward and Alice. I was hoping that perhaps Edward would be able to read her thoughts and tell us where she was and what she was thinking but I really wanted the other group to find her so Jasper could use his gift to knock her out making her capture less dangerous.

My group had a large metal mesh net to capture her and we wore full body coverings to avoid any contact with her blood or spittle. The material was kevlar so she couldn't bite through it into our skin or at least I hoped she couldn't or we were in serious trouble.

The two groups split up, one going north the other south of her last reported kill and keeping in touch by cell phone. I tried to imagine what she might be thinking. Would she be running scared? Confused as to where she was and looking for shelter? Although it was my favoured option I doubted it was anything close.

No, I thought it more likely that she was fueled by hatred and anger and hunting vampires for the release it gave her. There was something horrific in her past, something that had turned a young human girl into a vampire hating killer and I intended to find out just what it was.

Darius had an eye in the sky over the area and was looking for anything suspicious promising to alert us as soon as he did but it was a large area, hundreds of square miles with forest and mountains breaking it up, ideal terrain to hide in if you were a nomad or to hunt in if you were looking for prey.

We came close to human backpackers a few times relieved that the girl wouldn't see them as prey but hoping to catch sight of her soon. If not it was possible she had changed her mind and direction, after all, it seemed she wasn't targeting specific vampires, anyone would do for now at least although, it was my theory that once she had killed every vampire she could hunt down she would go looking for James and possibly his master if she knew one existed.

 **Jasper**

It was like hunting for a very small needle in a huge haystack and I wondered after the first forty hours if she was here at all but then we came across the scent of a nomad which was overlaid by another unfamiliar scent which I thought might be our quarry. She didn't smell entirely human or fully vampire but a mix and I wondered what exactly had been done to the girl to turn her into such a determined vampire killer.

I informed Carlisle but refused to wait for him to join us, we were close and I didn't want to lose the opportunity this afforded us. Signaling to the others to break, Emmett and Rose going right while Esme and I moved left. Everyone knew to be silent and extremely cautious as we moved in on the girl. Her scent was much fainter here which was strange, it should get more intense the closer we got to her but instinct told me she wasn't far from us now.

Up ahead but to our right we heard a scream of agony, either Bella had caught up with her prey or he had somehow turned the tables on her. Either way, we had to move fast and ran through the trees breaking off branches that got in our way as we whipped past them. We found a vampire twitching on the ground and holding his hands to his face screaming in agony as colour returned to the once white vampire skin and a faint thready heartbeat became discernable. The girl had struck and the vampire was becoming human again.

Ignoring his agony, he could be dealt with later once the girl was under control, we raced on only to see the worst possible outcome. The girl had obviously caught a glimpse of Rose who was unaware of her danger and being too far away to do anything but scream she sprang at Rose's back bloody hands extended ready to strike.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **Bella**

I could feel something was wrong even as I attacked my prey sending him crashing to the ground just where I had allowed some of my blood to drip to the earth baiting a trap to lure him in. He didn't have a mate, I had made sure of that but I got the distinct impression that there were more vampires around, possibly looking for me. Could James have finally got this close? It didn't feel like him but someone was stalking me, a vampire and I was more than happy to meet whoever it was.

I had just added another kill to my notebook when I felt danger close by and snapped it shut ramming it into my pocket and looking around. Then I smelled vampire, a new scent, so two vampires hunting in the same area independently, that was unusual. I had pretty much gotten their routine down pat after all this time hunting them.

Usually, they would travel a couple of hundred miles and then find somewhere to wait for their next meal. Some hunted in towns, the more brazen ones but others would find a hiking trail or remote campsite and settle down to wait for their meal to come to them.

This vampire wasn't acting like the others, she appeared to be looking for someone but not for a meal. I finally got a good look at her as she stopped in a small clearing in the forest looking about her uneasily. She was by far the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen, with long flowing blonde hair and an almost frostily elegant face. She would have no trouble drawing prey to her, they'd be falling over themselves to fall at her feet. It just showed how much evil could be hidden by a pretty face.

I braced myself for the attack, she hadn't sensed me yet and that would make my job that much easier. It was getting time for me to stop and catch my breath, I was tiring something I hated because it slowed me down. My wrist was sore again too, it had never fully healed from my early hunts, I guess I should have seen a doctor but I had no idea how to go about it and I was scared to go to an Emergency Room in case they asked questions I couldn't answer and involved the authorities.

Instead, I had bought some antiseptic cream and bandages and kept it clean and covered but already my arm was beginning to ache and a dark streak was running up towards my elbow. If only I had a vampires self-healing powers, that would make things easier. Better too if I could give up sleeping but although I could go for several days without closing my eyes eventually I would crash out and be out for almost twenty-four hours which meant finding somewhere safe to sleep or risk being jumped by Diablo.

While I was unable to defend myself. I was amazed I had lasted so long with him and his men hunting me which I knew they would be. I just hoped his master, whoever that might be, was really pissed at him. What I really wanted was to find out who the mystery man was so I could hunt him down and kill him too but I didn't think I would live long enough to make that a reality.

As I launched myself at her I realized she wasn't alone but it was too late to abort the attack now. I could reach her with my bloody hands before she could stop me and I might just have time to turn and spit at the blond man who I saw at a distance, it depended on how fast he was. Just as I was about to make contact another vampire appeared crashing into me and knocking me to the ground under his weight. I felt the air knocked out of me as several ribs snapped and there were other pains, my back, my legs, it was like I'd been hit by a building and I saw stars. Finding that I could still move one hand although it was at a strange angle I reached up to touch him but instead I found myself falling into a blackness that I couldn't fight.

 **Jasper**

The relief when Emmett smashed into the girl was overwhelming but I knew his actions while saving Rosalie might well result in his own death if I didn't act fast. Moving closer I hit her with enough lethargy to stun a bull elephant and saw her hand, which had been stretching up to touch Emmett's neck, fall back as she lapsed into unconsciousness. Rose was standing over him screaming and as he got to his feet I understood why the girl's blood-stained his sweater and was even now soaking through to the tee shirt and then his skin.

He understood her screams and ripped the sweater and tee shirt off just in time throwing them into the bushes as Rosalie checked him out for any more blood but he was clean, he would live. We all stood looking down on the girl, so thin and sick looking,

"She doesn't look like she could fight her way out of a paper bag much less kill scores of vampires does she? I think I might have broken a few of her bones but I didn't know what else to do, it was her or Rose."

As he hugged his mate to his enormous muscled chest I squatted down beside the girl. He was right she didn't look dangerous but then that was one of her assets.

There was something about her, something that drew me and it was only Rose's cry of warning that stopped me from touching her face although it seemed free of any bodily fluids but then she could have drooled as she passed out or licked her lips. I would have to be on my guard, stupid actions like that could get me killed. It struck me how young she was, only a teenager but then…...so was I and had been for more than a century.

What had happened to turn her into a pitiless killer? I promised myself I would find out, somehow, some time, but for now, we had more pressing problems. How to get her back to our place without chancing contact with something that might kill us. As I thought this a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth and trickled down her chin to drip onto her jacket poison, venomous enough to kill us all.

I heard Rosalie on the phone to Carlisle, explaining what had happened and asking for advice. Under the circumstances, he didn't want us to move her. Having been hit full speed by the behemoth that was Emmett Cullen she was likely to have serious internal injuries and if we attempted to move her not only were we putting ourselves at risk but her too. Instead, he and the others would join us as quickly as they could.

Checking the sleeve was clear of danger I grabbed Emmett's sweater and wiped the blood away then rolled it up and using my own jacket as protection I lifted her head slightly and made it into a pillow to keep her head raised a little so she didn't choke on the blood that was welling up into her mouth from somewhere. Rose hissed at me to be careful refusing to get too close to our captive.

The longer we waited the more concerned I became about the girl. Her breathing was becoming laboured and her lips were tinged with blue, if Carlisle didn't get here soon he might be too late. It wasn't until we heard a helicopter circling overhead that I understood the delay, he had arranged for transportation and hopefully medical equipment to be on hand. The clearing was too small for the helicopter to land but it came lower and a man came down on a winch followed by Carlisle's familiar figure.

The man, a paramedic or something checked the girl out quickly then shook his head at Carlisle's question.

"I doubt you'll get her to your clinic Dr. Cullen, these injuries are the worst I've ever seen. How did the accident happen?"

"We don't have time to chat Alex, just get her into the cradle and winch her up."

The paramedic wasn't happy but he slipped a back board under her back and fastened on a collar to immobilise her neck before being winched back into the helicopter with his patient.

"I'm going with her, the others are on their way to the clinic. We'll take her in the back way, and then straight out through my treatment rooms. I said she was a special patient,"

Quick thinking had enabled him to make use of a human paramedic to move the girl safely from here but once we got her home it would be far more complicated if she survived the flight that was.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **Carlisle**

With Darius' help, I had managed to get Bella away from the forest alive but she was certainly not out of danger. Colliding with Emmett was akin to having a stone wall fall on you and for a human that was often fatal and if not then catastrophically harmful. Even without an X-ray machine it was plain that most of Bella's ribs were crushed and it seemed likely both her neck and spine were damaged and that was without all the internal injuries she had obviously sustained. The fact she lived to reach the hospital was nothing short of a miracle, we were pumping blood into her as fast as we could and even then her pressure was dropping, she was bleeding internally and needed emergency surgery if she were to have any chance whatsoever of a recovery.

Unfortunately although it would have been far safer to call one of my colleagues to assist me with the surgery along with a theatre team I couldn't without some background story and there just wasn't time to fabricate one so it would be down to Rosalie and myself to save her life if we could. Anesthetics were out of the question, she was far too weak to take it, so it would be up to Jasper to keep her deeply asleep while we worked to stabilize her.

Luckily the others weren't far behind, having run all the way but now I had to get Bella from the helicopter into the private operating theatre I had managed to book at a moment's notice. Even then eyebrows had been raised when I said I was bringing in my own medical staff for the procedure. Only the fact that I had paid for most of the facilities in the building allowed me to get away with such things and I was relieved when we finally shut the doors and were alone with Bella.

Rose agreed reluctantly to help me and only then after I had shown her the full body suits we would be wearing. I had acquired these after hearing about Bella's peculiarities, usually, they are worn by doctors dealing with such infectious diseases as Hanta virus or Ebola but they were perfect for our needs. While Rose arranged and took the Xrays I picked up supplies of plasma and whole blood hoping we would have enough.

As it was Bella crashed on the table four times and I really thought we had lost her at one point but something in this delicate form wasn't going without a fight and she rallied if only weakly. Jasper stood leaning back against the door safely out of the splash zone watching my every move intently while Rosalie and I fought to repair the damage Emmett had wrought on the frail human body. I suspected that she must have some vampire in her genes, just enough to prevent her death, and only with the help of our surgery, otherwise she would have bled out in the clearing.

By the time we were finished and Bella cleaned up, stitched, and bandaged I was almost confident she would survive but her recovery would be long and painful. Whether she would ever walk again was something I couldn't tell nor if her blood loss would lead to permanent brain damage even with the help of the vampire genes but Rosalie and I had done all that we could, the rest was up to her. With drips in place, an oxygen supply, and still deeply unconscious care of Jasper's gift we moved Bella into an ambulance and drove her back to the house where I had my own state of the art facilities which Esme and the others had prepared ready for their special patient.

We disrobed very carefully and showered meticulously before going back, the slightest amount of Bella's bodily fluids were fatal, we couldn't take any chances and the blood and other samples I had taken were locked in a special cooler for the journey. Any tests and examinations would be done under strictest hygiene rules. I had never had a patient who could cough and kill me before and found the idea rather daunting but at the same time, it was also highly interesting.

I was fascinated to find out what had caused Bella's peculiarity. I didn't believe it was a gift, this had some biological root and I would find it but first came Bella's welfare and a part of that would be finding out her origin. Had she been kidnapped? Were her parents still alive? Did she have any living relatives at all? How long had she been a "guest" of my friend? And of course, why? Why had he taken her if not for this toxicity and that wasn't the reason or he would have been prepared for it, found a way to contain her. There was much more to this story than I had been told, I had barely scraped the surface yet.

Once home and in her room I went to speak to the others leaving Rosalie and Jasper to watch over Bella and found Darius had been on the phone.

"He rang while you were en route home, apparently Peter has been on the phone wanting to know what's going on with The Major. Darius didn't know what he meant but according to Peter, Jasper was involved in something dangerous and Peter knew Darius knew something about it."

I rolled ,my eyes, my friend would not be happy at the thought of more people knowing his secret but keeping Peter Whitlock in the dark would probably be even more dangerous. He wasn't going to take "don't worry about it, it's all under control" for an answer.

I explained that no one was allowed into Bella's room unless fully dressed in a decontamination suit and accompanied by Rosalie or myself,

"It's just too dangerous, besides once we allow her to wake up she's going to be disorientated and frightened without seeing too many strangers around her. Esme will start cooking for her as soon as she is strong enough to eat and Jasper will keep her calm."

"What exactly is going to happen to her? Once she's well again? I mean do we have any idea why she ended up where she did or why she is so determined to kill vampires?"

"Not yet, but we will, I'll be looking for answers to those questions very soon but let's make sure she'll pull through first."

 **Rosalie**

Bella looked so frail, so very fragile and I wondered how she had survived so long killing member after member of our species. Looking into her white face I wondered what had turned her into a female Van Helsing, what had happened to her and why was she at least a little vampire in her own makeup? How was it possible to be part vampire? And how could she be part vampire yet deadly to all vampires? Carlisle had said that she could turn a vampire human again, a wish I had long ago abandoned and even here there was a sting in the tail. I could become human once more but I would also age to my human years which in my case would mean I would die of old age in the space of minutes or hours and die in excruciating agony too.

I glanced over at Jasper who had remained silent since we wheeled Bella in here but hadn't taken his eyes off her. It had been the same in the operating theatre, he seemed mesmerized by her. I supposed it could be the effort of keeping her deeply unconscious, I had very little experience with his gift although of course I understood it. Sometimes I wondered if he would ever find a companion, he was always so aloof, so quiet around strangers although within the family he could joke and rough and tumble to equal Emmett.

When he and Alice had arrived at the house declaring they wanted to learn to live like us I had thought they might be mates, they seemed relaxed in each other's company and fond of each other but then Alice and Edward had met and I knew immediately that the two were meant for each other. I hoped one day to see the same spark between Jazz and a woman but so far love had eluded him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **Carlisle**

Deciding I should probably let my friend know that we had found his missing human, although how he would take her fragile hold on life, as a result, I had no idea, I rang and waited for him to answer. When he did so he sounded eager and even when I explained her injuries his relief was palpable.

"But she will live? I know you can work wonders with humans Carlisle."

"Hopefully yes, but it might help if I knew a little more about her. Does she have any family? How long has she been with your James?"

"Is it necessary to her recovery?"

"Well no, not exactly…."

"Then I think we should keep things on a need to know basis Carlisle. You are able to care for the girl and keep her safe?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, keep me informed of her condition, good work Carlisle."

So, he wasn't willing to tell me anything, then I would endeavor to fill in the gaps using another source, Darius after all, time was on our side. Bella was going to be with us for a long time.

I decided to speak to Darius and leave it to him to keep Peter informed although I doubted it would be long before the Whitlocks appeared to make sure for themselves that their friend was safe. It was the one thing about Peter and Charlotte that I admired, their loyalty to their friend, in Peter's case alas, it was the only thing I admired in him! As I feared Peter was determined to come visit if he didn't hear from The Major in a couple of days so I told Darius to fill him in hoping that might satisfy him for a while.

"I do have something I want you to do for me though Darius and I understand it's not going to be easy. Could you try to trace Bella's origin, I'm convinced there is more to all this than my friend is willing to tell me at present."

"OK, can you take a photograph of her and send it to me, it might be easier if I know what she looks like, I can use a program to show what she would have looked like a few years ago, after all, we've no idea when she was snatched and it might help narrow the search."

"I'll get one to you immediately, thank you, Darius."

Bella's blood was certainly toxic to vampires, just a single drop held enough poison to kill a full grown man but I was more certain than ever that Bella's "problem" had nothing to do with a gift, it was biological although how that could be I still had no idea. If we could discover her history, her parentage, then perhaps we could find a clue to her condition.

I also didn't I know how she would react to us when she woke up if she hated vampires as much as we thought she did then it was going to be a potentially lethal time for all of us.

 **Darius**

Speaking to Peter was never easy and trying to talk to him when the subject included the Cullen's was even worse. He and Carlisle loathed each other and Peter suspected, unwarranted as far as I could tell, that Carlisle tried to keep him away from The Major.

"I know he hates me, the skunk chewer and I don't believe a word he fucking says."

"Well, this time, I happen to know it's the truth, I'm trying to trace the girl's history and she is lethal to vampires. Maybe that's what gave you the heebie-jeebies. They are all in danger so long as she is among them."

"Then why not bump the bitch off and save themselves the trouble?"

"Gee, I don't know Peter. Maybe because they think she's worth helping."

"You're beginning to sound like a fucking skunk muncher yourself Darius. There are no humans worth helping, they are a food source and a fucking nuisance, full stop."

By the time we rang off I had persuaded Peter to stay put for a few days, I promised to call him back if there were any news and to make sure The Major spoke to him in the next twenty-four hours. It was better than I expected, Peter could be fucking stubborn headed at times. I scanned the photograph into several of my own programs that would measure it against every missing person recorded in the United States, I doubted the girl came from overseas but if I got no hits then I would have to spread the search wider.

One program altered the photograph in yearly increments and sent these through to the others. We knew she wasn't that old, a teenager by Carlisle's estimation so I cut the alterations to two years back first of all but after several hours fruitful searching I got zip. Was it possible she had been snatched earlier? As a child perhaps? It was unlikely and highly dangerous. Any vampire snatching a child was in danger of being accused of the intention of creating an Immortal Child and that carried the death penalty, would he have risked that? Deciding the simple answer was that I didn't know I sent a photograph aged to five years old but that received no hits either. Well, if I didn't get anything on the next run, aged ten then I could either spread the search overseas or try children presumed dead but that really would be a difficult one because a surprising number of children did disappear, drowned, kidnapped by a parent and never traced, the circumstances were varied and that was thought provoking.

 **Carlisle**

I decided it would be a good idea to allow Bella to regain consciousness if only to test her brain function so I made sure Jasper could allow that and still keep her relatively pain free and we tried it, Rosalie standing by just out of sight while Jasper remained at the door where he had stationed himself when we arrived. It would be frightening for Bella to wake only to see someone fully suited but we couldn't risk anything else, we had no idea what her response might be and while she couldn't attack she could spit and that would be just as deadly.

Her eyes opened slowly and she stared up at me confusion and fear showing as she focused in on the strange figure I must appear to her. As she tried to move I saw her wince and shook my head,

"Lay still Bella, you've sustained some serious injuries. Do you remember what happened?"

She couldn't shake her head still in the collar to support her neck which thankfully had not been broken although muscle and ligaments had been torn. Lifting a hand to feel the restraint she noticed the I.V and stared at me,

"Where am I?"

"In a clinic and hopefully you'll mend as good as new but it's going to take some time and you must lay still while your bones heal."

She beckoned me closer undeterred by my full head covering,

"How did I get away? I was sure I was dead when the giant attacked me. It's not safe to be here, not safe for me or you doctor. He'll find me."

"Who Bella? Please try to stay calm."

Her eyes closed and I threw a glance at Jasper but he shook his head, she was just too weak to talk any longer, he wasn't sending her back to sleep. Just before she slipped into a doze she whispered a name, "Diablo"

Was she hallucinating? Seeing the devil? Or was he a real person? Could it be her name for the man who had been holding her?

"She thought you were human, a doctor and she thought she'd escaped from Emmett somehow. If she'd known you were a vampire she wouldn't have spoken and tried to warn you. I guess for now that's just as well really."

I nodded,

"True but I don't like deceiving her all the same but being agitated won't help her recovery."

"It's a good thing she couldn't see me or she might have recognized the vampire she was about to attack when she was injured."

I hadn't thought of that but Rose was right, for a short time it would be better if Bella believed we were human, there was time enough for the truth when she was a little stronger.

Her name for James, if it had been he she was referring to concerned me. The devil was not a name you gave to someone who merely held you, not unless they mistreated you. This James connection with my friend concerned me too, he wasn't an evil man or at least not to the extent of torturing humans, not since I had known him in any case but when Bella was a little stronger I would try to find out if James and Diablo were the same person and if so why she called him that. I decided if I heard anything more that concerned me or made me suspicious I would ring my friend and demand to know the full story of Bella's time with James and why he had her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **Bella**

I don't remember much after the giant vampire attacked until I found myself in this suspiciously quiet hospital with round the clock individual nursing care. All the staff wore decontamination suits and I wondered if the vampire who attacked me had somehow infected me with some disease. It was disconcerting to see faces only through thick plexiglass visors although I had noticed they all had strange coloured eyes, golden like melted butter. The doctor was the only one I saw clearly, close up but I was aware of at least one other in the room, the same person every time, quiet and watchful.

It wasn't for a week that I realized something that made my blood run cold, I couldn't hear any heartbeats, no breathing, I was surrounded by vampires and that's why they wore the suits because they knew how dangerous I was. What I didn't understand was why they were being so nice to me. Not only were my dressings changed along with my bedding but I was fed chips of ice and never felt more pain than I could cope with. James would have been enjoying my position, helpless under his control so these couldn't be with him. Were they connected to his master? My mind spun as questions piled up one on top of the other. Where was I? Who were these vampires? Why didn't they treat me the same as every other vampire I'd ever met had? It had to be a trick but it wasn't going to fool me. I'd play along for a while until I was stronger and then I would kill them all for the monsters they really were.

This treatment went on for several weeks, the kindly doctor concerned for my comfort, the silent presence in the room and a nurse who looked more like everyone's mother. She smiled as she brought me food, hot and delicious, helping me to feed myself when I was too weak to manage alone although with one broken arm and a fractured wrist everything was difficult right now. Their first mistake was when they allowed the blonde to pass my line of sight. I recognised her right away as my target. When she realized I had recognized her she stopped, hesitated, then came over to speak to me. If I could have reached her I would have ripped off that covering and spit straight in her face but for now, all I could do was to scowl.

With my neck brace now gone I could turn my head and I saw movement to my left, close to the door and then my feelings of hatred slowly drifted away. I couldn't find it in my heart to hate the blonde and then I saw him, my watcher. He too had blond hair and the same golden eyes, what had happened to the vivid red?

Did they wear contact lenses or somehow dye their eyes? It was certainly a puzzle. He was tall and well muscled although not as huge as the vampire who had attacked me. As our eyes met something ran through me, the others might pass for human but this was a true vampire, I could see it in his eyes and fear spiked for a second before melting away in the same way it had before.

 **Carlisle**

Jasper told me that Bella had realized what we were so it was time for me to talk to her, try to reassure her that we meant her no harm. When I sat on the edge of her bed she tensed, I'd not done this before but I wanted to appear relaxed and nonthreatening, or at least as best I could wearing this damn suit.

"Bella. My name is Carlisle Cullen, I'm a doctor."

"You're a vampire you mean. I just haven't worked out what you want yet. Are you a friend of Diablo? Is this all some kind of joke? Are you going to start sticking needles in me? Do experiments? That's it isn't it? He wants to know why I can kill vampires and stop me and he's got you finding out how to do it. That bastard."

"You're wrong but I don't blame you for not trusting us. I've never met Diablo although I' have heard about James, which I understand is Diablo's real name."

"Don't lie to me, I know all about vampires, I've seen enough of them and what they do. The way they enjoy cruelty, terrifying and torturing humans. And if I'm not a prisoner here what's he doing?"

She flicked a hand contemptuously at Jasper.

"He's like Diablo, I can see it in his eyes. He can't hide what he is, what he's done. You are just a better actor."

"He has a name Bella, it's Jasper and right now he's your best friend. If not for him you would be in great pain. You have been too weak to allow me to use any effective pain relief and Jasper's gift means he can prevent you from feeling pain."

"Yeah? And I'm supposed to believe that? No vampire misses an opportunity to see a human in pain, it's what they enjoy most."

"It seems to me you have met only the very worst of our kind Bella. We are not all the same. Some of us prefer to live among humans and help them if we can. Some of us even shun human blood and live on the blood of animals instead."

She laughed as best she could with ribs still healing and strapped tightly.

"You're a liar Carlisle Cullen, you're all liars."

She slumped back and closed her eyes, the conversation was over for now.

I had learned several things from the conversation, Bella's idea of vampires was strong and ingrained which meant she had been in James care for a long time, longer than I had anticipated and she had certainly seen many horrific sights, vampires torturing humans which might explain why she was so determined to kill every vampire she could find. It made her even more dangerous than I thought and would make gaining her trust extremely hard but I wouldn't give up on her.

As I turned to walk to the door I saw the expression on Jasper's face and for the first time, I felt his pain. Bella had struck at his weakest point, his self-image. True he had been like James once but he had changed, he was a different man, the opposite of James in fact but there was nothing I could say that would help the situation, he would prove her wrong in his own way.

"Would you like a break? I can give Bella something to help her sleep for a while, I think she's strong enough for that. You haven't left this room since she arrived. Surely you must be thirsty and that will make you a danger to yourself and Bella son."

"Emmett brought me a deer yesterday so I'm fine. I won't hurt her Carlisle but I can't leave either, not while she is still in pain."

There was something else in his tone but I couldn't quite work it out so I just nodded, squeezed his arm and left determined to speak to both Darius and my friend immediately.

I left a message telling my friend I needed to talk to him urgently and then rang Darius who had no good news for me until I explained what I had surmised from Bella's words.

"That might help Carlisle because I'm drawing a blank so far. However, I have found out some rather disturbing facts about James which might explain why Bella calls him the devil. He was condemned to hang as a human in 1735 after being found guilty of numerous murders. He was quite the devil even then. From all accounts, he abducted more than seven men, held each one for several days tortured and then killed them."

"Well, it sounds like he's carried that over into this life. Do we know how he escaped the noose?"

"No, but I'm still digging. Do you think your friend knew what he was doing?"

"I really hope not Darius, I really hope not."

I was still waiting to hear from my friend when Darius got back to me with more news,

"Bingo! Bella Swan went missing on a family day out when she was nine, her parents were both butchered. There was a massive search for the girl but no trace of her was found and we know why but it means she's been in James clutches for almost nine years Carlisle, no wonder she hates all vampires. I'm guessing she saw her parents murdered too, poor kid I'm amazed she's still alive and sane."

"Yes, I dread to think what she's been a witness to over those years. Keep digging Darius, I'm convinced the answer to her toxic fluids lays in her past. Can you get me medical records of her parents? Anything that might give me a clue, something to work with."

"I'll do my best Carlisle but in the end, it might be safer and kinder to just end her life."

I put the phone down knowing that Darius might be right but that I would never do that except as a last resort and we were nowhere near that point yet.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Bella**

They were so careful, no one came close unless fully covered and it was either Carlisle Cullen or the blonde who had introduced herself as Rosalie Hale like I cared! The one who unsettled me most was the silent guardian at the door who was Jasper, my own personal pain relief. I believed he had the gift, I'd seen plenty of gifted vampires but what I didn't understand was why he helped me. Was it so I would trust him? Did they think I was stupid enough to let my guard down where monsters were concerned?

Today I was finally sitting up, propped on pillows, I still couldn't feel my legs but whether that was an injury as Carlisle said or a trick I had no way of knowing. Esme, Carlisle's "Wife" as he introduced her was a good cook which was funny in a vampire but I decided if they were going to poison me there was little I could do about it and ate well. It was the best food I had tasted since….that brought back memories of my parents and I couldn't afford to go there, it was a weakness.

Carlisle had told me he was going to introduce the rest of his family. I laughed at that, a vampire family? But he seemed to think nothing strange of referring to it as such and it would be good to know my enemy and their strengths and weaknesses. There were two more, Edward and Alice who also seemed to be a couple. She was small and delicate and reminded me of a doll I had once owned, the same doll I lost the day my parents were murdered by Diablo and his friends. Edward was quiet and watchful as if expecting to see or hear something from me but I knew how to hold my tongue and hide my thoughts.

They didn't get close which was a pity, it would have been a small victory to have poisoned one of them, still there was plenty of time, I could play a waiting game just like them. The giant had finally reappeared too, staying well back, all apologies for hurting me so badly and explaining he had been protecting his mate. These were the first vampires I had ever met who seemed to be truly in relationships. They appeared to genuinely care for each other which was unsettling too. Even La Rossa and Diablo who were together had never shown this amount of devotion to each other. I was reminded of my own parents which made me angry, how dare these monsters pretend to be like humans?

I waited day after day, expecting them to bore of putting on a show but they were good, very good, even the one I knew was just like Diablo. If he'd chosen these actors he had slipped up using Jasper. Looking at him just reminded me of Diablo and he was always there although so far I had never heard him speak. I'd never seen him feed either but then it would be the end of the charade, he must sneak off when I was sleeping. It occurred to me that I might be able to cause him to slip up. I craved some human blood, it had been way too long and whatever Diablo had done to me I was at least in part vampire.

"I need to drink, I'm thirsty."

He and I were the only ones in the room and he looked at me and gestured to the jug of cordial on the bedside locker.

"No, I mean I'm thirsty. I want some blood to drink. After all, I'm part vampire now, or is that a subtle form of torture? Refusing me what I crave most?"

"No one is torturing you Bella. You are safe here, no one will ever torture you again."

His voice was soft with a southern drawl I hadn't heard in years, it was like my father's and I felt a twinge of grief.

"I'll ask Rose to bring you some."

"Why not you? Afraid you'll give yourself away if you smell fresh human blood?"

"No, afraid I won't live long enough to see you drink it."

He opened the door and called out for the blonde who came in a few minutes later holding a sealed blood bag and handed it to me with a gloved hand. I took it without thanking her and as soon as she was gone from the room I ripped it open with my teeth drinking greedily for a few seconds before stretching out my hand to Jasper.

"I forget my manners, would you ,like some? It's rather good."

"No, thank you. I gave up human blood some years ago but please carry on."

I narrowed my eyes, was he making fun of me?

"What does it taste like? Skunk blood I mean."

He smiled and suddenly the room swam,

"I wouldn't know, elk and deer are OK but if you want something with a kick to it I would recommend lion or bear, any carnivore really. Their blood tastes more like humans."

I was speechless, that wasn't what I expected to hear, I wasn't baiting him at all and that smile had done strange things to me.

"How long have you been a vampire Jasper?"

"Since the civil war, a long time."

"And you've always lived on animal blood?"

I waited for the lie but he shook his head,

"No, I killed and changed humans for decades before I was able to break free of my sire. I found Carlisle and he helped me break the habit."

"Just like that?"

I was extremely skeptical about that!

"No, it took a long time and I still find it hard to resist from time to time."

"Like now?"

I held out the bag once more but he shook his head,

"No, not now, I know you are trying to bait me, you don't believe us, you don't think any vampires can be different."

"You forget, I don't think, I know. I've lived among vampires for years and I've never seen a good one yet."

"

And that's why you want to kill us?"

I beamed nodding my head and ignoring the twinges from my sore neck muscles.

"I like to think of myself as a pest controller, it's like killing cockroaches or rats really."

Even as I said it I wanted to take it back, somehow it seemed wrong to liken him to a cockroach or rat but then I remembered…..he was only more deadly to man.

I dropped the blood bag putting a hand to my chest as if in pain and he started forward only to stop dead at a shouted order from Rosalie. Just a second longer and he would have been in range. As it was my spit landed on the toe of his boot but it was close, so close. He looked at me strangely, not angry but sad and I felt a twinge of guilt again, could I be wrong?

He left to change his footwear and Rosalie came over to change the bloodstained blanket.

"That was cruel, baiting Jazz like that when all he has done is try to help you. We aren't all the same Bella. I understand you have had a terrible time with this Diablo but we are not like him, if we were do you really think we would bother nursing you? What would Diablo have done if he'd found you injured instead of us?"

I thought about that. He would have saved me, he was too scared of his master not to but he would have allowed me to suffer as I recovered. Thinking about it there was no way he could or would have shown me any of the kindness these strange vampires had but…..

"You just want to neutralize my toxins, this is all a sham to make me think you care."

She smiled sadly,

"I feel so sorry for you Bella, not knowing love or compassion for so many years but there are still people who care, even a few vampires believe it or not."

"I don't"

However, I didn't say it with as much force as I would have done only a few short weeks ago.

As I lay waiting for Jasper to return I felt the first real twinges of pain, mostly in my spine which Carlisle had told me I had fractured, or at least that giant oaf Emmett had when he threw himself on me. Thinking about it that had been a really dumb thing to do, I could have touched him with a bloody hand or spat at him, either would have meant certain death yet he had been ready to sacrifice his life for his mates.

As the pain began to increase and spread through my body I understood just how much Jasper had been helping me with it and I was relieved when he reappeared and it began to subside once more.

"How do you do that? Make the pain go away I mean. Do you do something to my brain? Make me believe I don't feel it?"

"No, it's much more simple than that. I can make you feel things and I can stop you from feeling them. I either project emotions onto you or I suck them out of you."

"You suck them out? It sounds gross, what do you do with them? Project them onto some other poor human? Is that how you get your kicks, Jasper?"

"No, I suck them up into myself."

That stopped me, did it mean he was feeling the pain I should be experiencing? I wanted to ask him but I was afraid that would be the answer, it sounded very intimate and that made me uneasy. Why would he put up with all my pain? He was my enemy, a vampire, it didn't make any sense.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **Carlisle**

It was almost a week before my friend finally got back to me with many apologies.

"Is there a problem Carlisle? Is it Bella?"

"In a way. I think you should tell me exactly what is going on because I'm hearing some very disturbing things from her."

"Disturbing? In what way?"

"How much do you know about James? hIs past and the way he has been treating your "Guest"?"

I thought he might decline to answer in which case he and I were going to fall out but instead he began to speak slowly and cautiously.

"James is a descendant who got himself into some serious trouble and narrowly avoided being hung. He was saved by the jailer who offered him a choice, join his friends "group" or hang. He chose the former and found himself a vampire. I came across him quite by chance but he seemed to meet my needs. Not everyone can inspire loyalty and build an army. Why do you ask?"

I explained some of the things Bella had related to me,

"He tortured and slaughtered humans in front of her very eyes. She was made to watch as he murdered her parents and he has instilled in her that all vampires are like him, to be feared for the things they do to human beings. The girl has been emotionally abused for years and this is not something I would have expected of you my friend, it sickens me, I will tell you now that whatever happens I will never allow Bella to be handed back to James."

There was a long silence, had I just destroyed our long time friendship?

"I find it hard to believe that James would treat a child in that way. He was certainly never given any orders to harm her physically or mentally. Are you sure she is not just making the story up to gain your sympathy?"

"I believe every word of it and I want you to be honest with me now. What exactly is it you are doing and why?"

"Does it really matter Carlisle? Will you refuse to continue treating the girl if I refuse to answer? I think not but please be assured that I will be contacting James to find out exactly what has been happening with Bella. I am as unhappy as you at the thought she has been ill-treated."

So he still wasn't prepared to tell me what was going on, I wondered if he would be so reticent if he knew that Darius was digging deep to find out anyway?Whatever it was I suspected it was dangerous for all of us but now we were committed there was little I could do about it. I wondered if in fact Peter Whitlock's feeling was connected to that rather than Bella herself. Darius had told me he couldn't keep the Whitlock's away much longer but under the circumstances his particular abilities might come in very useful, he would know when danger approached.

Bella was recovering and it was time to see if she could bear weight on her legs, I had told her I had no idea of the extent of her spinal injury and made her understand that there was the possibility she would be paralyzed or have difficulty in walking.

She looked at me as if in triumph,

"Now the torture starts does it doctor? I knew you couldn't hide your true nature for long. Frighten the poor human, tell her she might be at your mercy well I have news for you, I will walk and one day I will be strong enough to resume my mission so there."

I knew there was no point in arguing with her, I just hoped she might see that we were not like James with her own eyes. Being cared for gently was putting her on edge, she was nervous, hating that she had to depend on vampires for her most basic needs but also confused because she couldn't catch us out. Rosalie and I helped her to sit on the edge of the bed, her poor stick thin legs, unused for weeks dangling off the edge like a child's.

"You'll need support at first Bella so take our arms and pull yourself up slowly."

She tried alone but realizing she couldn't make it she took our arms reluctantly and pulled herself to her feet wobbling dangerously but determined not to fail.

"Can you feel the floor?"

She nodded and I could see the relief on her face although she clamped down on it almost at once afraid to show us any weakness.

For the next few days we continued, standing her up and by the end of the week, she could shuffle forward a few paces with our support. I had told Jasper she no longer needed his help but he refused to leave however dreadfully Bella taunted or provoked him. I was missing something or was it just his stubborn streak? Things would have been far easier if we didn't have to wear protection all the time but I knew the first opportunity Bella got she would take and one of us would be dead.

 **Bella**

I hated being reliant on these creatures but for now I had no choice. It gave me plenty of opportunities to study them, look for their true natures to peek through but whenever I thought I'd seen their evil it turned out I was wrong. Even the talk of my being paralyzed was the truth and not just something to frighten me. I'd looked it up on the computer Rosalie had brought in for me, showing me how to look things up on the internet.

I googled vampires and found so much dross I was tempted to give up the search but then I found some truth among the superstition, things that gelled with what I knew to be true, their strength, heightened senses and speed, their reliance on human blood to survive and I understood that I had indeed moved part way to being one myself. If I became a full vampire if I were slowly changing as a result of what Diablo and his friends had done to me would I be able to live with myself? After all, I would be one of a species I had vowed to wipe out, quite a conundrum that would be.

I didn't like Alice and Edward, they were far too smug and knowing and as a result, they stayed away but Esme and Rosalie were almost always around and of course there was my quiet shadow, Jasper. I enjoyed baiting him the most but it shocked me to discover that it was more for what I learned about him than for any digs I could inflict. There was something about him, something I found very hard to hate but I was suspicious that was also his doing.

I had tried attacking Carlisle by tearing his suit but that hadn't worked, he was too quick for me and decided my next attempt would be on Rosalie, after all, it was her fault I was in this mess. I had been very well behaved with her, lulling her into a false sense of security and eventually I saw my chance, she had come in wearing her protective suit but her visor wasn't locked down. I could kill at least one more vampire before my death and I smiled.

It all happened so fast, as she leaned over the bed to take my temperature and blood pressure I struck, snapping the protective guard back ready to spit in her face but out of nowhere Jasper was there, his sleeved arm in the way collecting the spittle that was intended for her skin. She screamed and snapped the visor down tearing at Jaspers shirt to pull it off before my spittle soaked through to his vampire skin.

I was confused and angry with myself, not for failing but for putting Jasper's life at risk. Why did I care if he lived or died? Why should I care that I killed one vampire and not another?But the thing that struck me most of all was the care, the love between Rosalie and Jasper. I knew Emmett was her mate, not Jasper so why should Jasper put his own life at risk to save hers and why should she be so worried about him, ripping at his shirt frantically to stop him coming into contact with my deadly fluids? In short why were they acting like they cared about each other, and more importantly, me? Neither of them tried to hit me or scream at me, I wasn't starved or neglected because I had tried to kill Rosalie, they just made sure to be extremely careful afterward, as if I were a wild animal they were looking after, unpredictable and dangerous.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **Jasper**

I knew I would have to speak to Peter soon but I hadn't the faintest idea what to tell him. Bella had my head whirling, I didn't know how to explain what I was feeling, my emotions were far too jumbled. I wasn't afraid of her despite the fact she was the most dangerous being I had ever come across in all my years as a vampire. Pure fighting skills wouldn't be enough to overcome her, not when a simple drop of her saliva or blood could send a vampire screaming into a long lingering death. I knew exactly what my friend would say, I could hear him now,

'Kill the bitch and be done with it, stop fucking about playing Russian Roulette with her.'

In some ways, of course, he was right but there was something about the girl that spoke to me on a deeper level, she fascinated me, made me question myself and what being a vampire meant.

Of course after a nudge from Carlisle,

"I think Darius is getting a little fed up with Peter pestering him"

I took the hint and phoned him.

"About fucking time Major, I've been wearing a track on the carpet waiting for you to deign to talk to me. Are you still playing nursemaid to Typhoid fucking Mary?"

"If you mean Bella, then yes and she doesn't have typhoid."

"She might as well have, she's as dangerous to us as that was to humans. Why haven't you dispatched her yet?"

"Because the general idea is that we keep her safe until we can cure her."

"And whose bright fucking idea was that? Don't tell me, let me guess, Carlisle Cullen the fucking clown. Sometimes I think that man has shit for brains but then he goes and does something so fucking stupid I realize he doesn't have any at all. Listen, Major, I feel the shit travelling at high speed towards the fan which means you my friend are right in the path of the shit storm. If you don't want to kill her, fine, I'll do it for you, either that or leave the bitch to Dr fucking Dolittle and get the fuck out of there."

"Have you quite finished?"

He snorted,

"What's the point? It just goes in one ear and straight out of the other. So, come on then, what is it that keeps you there on the edge of annihilation?"

"I don't know Peter in all honesty but there's something about her, something you can't help but admire."

"Correction, YOU can't help but admire, I can't think of a single reason to admire a bitch whose spit could fry my ass. If you won't leave then I guess I'll just have to come to you."

"There's no need really Peter, I'm fine."

"Yep and those pigs just flew past wearing pink fucking tutus. Char and I are on our way."

There was no way of dissuading him and when I broke the news to Carlisle, to expect them soon I could see the look of frustration and resignation on his face. Things were going to be a lot more lively pretty soon in the Cullen household!

As I went back into Bella's room I saw her catch sight of me and relax visibly, as if she had been tense when I was out of sight.

"You decided to come back then?"

"Yes, I just had to make a quick phone call to a friend."

"Another vampire? Of course, all your friends must be vampires. Who else would make friends with you?"

I decided not to take her words sitting down any longer,

"What about you?"

She looked at me intently for a moment before laughing,

"I'd hardly call us friends."

"I'd ,like to think we aren't enemies any longer Bella, don't you get tired of constantly sniping at everyone?"

She glared at me but I could see it was an effort, she didn't hate me any longer I could feel that much but I didn't think she was sure how she did really feel.

My reaction to her attack on Rose had confused her, that much I had felt. Had she expected me to stand back and watch a member of my family die when I could do something about it? I didn't hate Bella for attacking, I understood why she'd felt driven to try it but I couldn't let her succeed. Putting myself in danger hadn't even crossed my mind, my reaction was instinctive, but Bella had found it incomprehensible when put in the framework which James had given her of vampires and the way they acted. I had appeared human to her, not vampire, by my actions and she didn't know how to deal with that. For my own part, I wanted to know her better, as a person. Yes, I'd been studying her since the moment I first lay eyes on her but that wasn't the same. I wanted to know her, the real Bella who was there hidden deep below all the conflicting memories and experiences that had coloured most of her life.

"I'd like to be your friend Bella. I don't want to be an enemy and surely it must have registered that none of us is going to hurt you? You might find a friend a good thing if you could just learn to trust your instincts."

I had caught her unawares with my words and she was struggling to form an answer,

"Don't presume to know me Jasper, or my life or my feelings. I've seen and heard things that sickened me performed on humans by your kind."

"But not by me, or any of my family. Not all vampires are evil despite what you've been told and this family wants to help you. I want to help you."

She eyes me suspiciously,

"Why?"

"Why do we want to help you? Because we don't like to see anyone in so much pain. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone you could trust? One person, you could open up to, tell all the things you've kept bottled up all these years? Someone in short, that you can feel safe around."

"And you think I should just let my guard down? Even trust you maybe? The thing is that of all the Cullens you remind me the most of Diablo."

That hurt because I was nothing like James any longer, I hadn't been for years. She could see she had hurt my feelings and I waited for her to gloat over the fact but she didn't, instead she went very quiet for a while and I took up my usual position by the door, silent and watchful but hurting all the same.

Why did it matter to me what Bella thought of me? Why should I want her to see me for what I really was, what I had become? I had often been judged for my past and it never bothered me as much as it did now. Of course, there was a possible explanation but it was so far fetched I dismissed it immediately.

When Rosalie came in she assessed the atmosphere in the room immediately and glanced at me questioningly but I chose to ignore her, knowing she would find a way to quiz me later, she always did and I could never hide things from her however hard I tried.

"Well Bella, how are you feeling today?"

"Physically or mentally? The pain is almost gone and no thanks to Jasper now, my body has healed. Mentally? What do you think? I've been a prisoner of vampires for most of my formative years and tortured mentally. I managed to escape only to be captured and held prisoner by different vampires. Admittedly the treatment is better but that's about it. I'm still locked up in a single room and still being guarded."

 **Bella**

I was being a real bitch and extremely unfair to these people but something had me all tied up in knots and I knew it was all connected to Jasper, my silent watcher. He had somehow gotten under my skin, put me off balance and that frightened me. When I was frightened I fell back on the offensive and attacked, this time verbally and I knew I had upset both of them which wasn't fair.

Rosalie had every reason to hate me for attempting to kill her and Jasper as well as for all the horrible things I said to him but they just carried on as if the words and deeds had never been used and done.

If I were going to stop from going mad I would have to accept that they really did not mean me any harm and were not working with Diablo as a part of his diabolical plot. The problem was it was so hard to trust anyone, especially vampires after all I had seen and heard, could I forget all that? No, but somehow I had to put Diablo's treatment to one side and allow myself to see these as totally autonomous and different. I didn't want to live in a state of constant suspicion and rage fueled by fearful memories and a hatred of all that vampires stood for.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

 **Marcus**

Had I been deceived by my own kin? True I hadn't fully explored his background but he had appeared at a time when I needed someone and seemed to be exactly what I needed with the added safeguard of family loyalty. However, if what Carlisle had told me was true then certainly James had gone way beyond the orders I had given him, in fact, he was responsible for the mess that was Bella.

How could he even think I would agree to the senseless torture of a child? He had been given orders to work with Paris, collect gifts and turn them, at the same time he was to build up an army of fighters, pick out commanders and split them into groups, each independent of each other but under his ultimate command. Of course, it meant plenty of humans being killed to feed the units and many humans becoming vampire soldiers but that was an unavoidable effect of collecting and training an army.

It had seemed fate when I first heard of James and found he was a descendant of mine. Yes, he had been a ruthless murderer as a human but those qualities were not incompatible with the ones needed to form an army that could fight and win. It had taken me centuries to break free of Chelsea's hold over me and see what kind of a man Aro really was. I understood the need for firm leadership, for making examples that would throw fear into the hearts of those who opposed the Volturi but somewhere along the line Aro had lost his humanity. No one mattered any longer, not mate, not friends, nobody. All he could see was power, fear, and power and he cut down anyone who stood in his way or had something he wanted.

I understood why he had set Chelsea to work her particular magic on me, I would have followed my dearest Didyme into death if she hadn't prevented me. Aro felt I had a great and useful gift and at the time I thought he cared about me as a person, as his brother in law and friend but I had been wrong. Only my gift made it worth saving me. He survived his sister's death with hardly a hesitation in his normal routine as if she meant no more to him than a pet dog or an acquaintance. I couldn't be the person Aro had become and I could no longer bear to watch as he subverted our kind and took everything for himself, the best gifts, the riches, the power.

I wondered if Caius had seen what was happening, I knew he tended to go along with whatever Aro decided but he wasn't blind and he had a keen brain, he must be aware. So was he too lazy to do anything about it or too wrapped up in his own secret vices to care?

I had finally made up my mind to act only when I saw the potential in James and up until now he had appeared to be doing a splendid job. At least until now but as I now knew there was something wrong, I must act. I decided to speak to James and find out what exactly he had been doing with the girl all this time. Perhaps it wasn't him at all, perhaps it had been the others he brought with him, Victoria who seemed to exert some strange power over him and the other Laurent although he seemed more a follower than a leader.

When James answered he sounded cautious, perhaps my tone of voice alerted him to trouble or maybe he had a guilty conscience, I would soon know.

"How are my soldiers coming along?"

"Good, since I have had the time to weed out the weak and alter the command structure. We are almost ready, the last gift Paris found is interesting, he has the ability to make himself invisible, _**(**_ hand if you want intelligence from a hostile force. _ **)**_ Of course, he needs time to settle, it's a shame all newborns are so savage and unpredictable. It's an advantage in a foot soldier but less so in a gift."

"Talking of gifts what happened with the girl, Bella?"

"What happened? I told you, she became dangerous when we tried to transform her, she's a danger to everyone around her, everyone in our world in any case."

"Yes, I understand she hates all vampires, she has a mission in life, to destroy all of us. A little extreme don't you think? Why, I wonder, does she hate us so?"

There was a short silence and I knew James was on his guard which told me he had something to hide. So, he had been ignoring his orders or going way beyond them.

 **James**

Marcus was upset, it was easy to tell that from his tone of voice and I cursed when he brought Bella into the conversation. I was hoping now she was captured the subject might be closed, I didn't want the little bitch back but I did wonder what she might have been saying to the Cullens.

"If you want me to guess I would say she hates us because we stole her from her parents and kept her prisoner for years."

"And you think that's all there is behind it? Her hatred seems to be all consuming."

"She's a young woman, they tend to be volatile, all their emotions are heightened."

Again the silence, this was beginning to unnerve me now but I waited, let him speak first.

"So, it couldn't have anything to do with your treatment of her?"

"No, she was treated like any other prisoner, possibly better than any other now I think about it, I fed and clothed her, gave her books and a comfortable room. Why?"

"I have heard unsettling rumors that you were unacceptably cruel to her."

"Rubbish, the girl is a liar. I never laid so much as a finger on her. Is she saying otherwise? She's a liar if so."

"I see, so you never tortured prisoners in front of her or scared her by telling her that all vampires tore humans to pieces for fun?"

God, what had she said to Carlisle Cullen? I couldn't see her confiding in him, he was one of the monsters she hated after all.

"I don't have time for such wild accusations Marcus, there's work to be done. If she saw some terrible things that's just too bad, I wasn't running a nursery for sensitive babies."

"No, you weren't but neither were you running a torture chamber for children James. I told you I wanted her gift, I did not tell you to act so rashly as to kill her parents and abduct her. There was no need to do so, she could have been taken when she was the right age to be turned."

"I made the call, that's one of the reasons you hired me, for my decision-making qualities."

"You told me the child was in danger and that's why you acted as you did. Are you changing that story or calling Bella a liar?"

"Believe what you want Marcus, I get the job done. She's a gift with a problem and you should kill her now before she starts killing us again."

"Be very careful James, remember who you are talking to. We had a deal, you carried out my orders and in return, I would furnish you with a command of your own in the new guard. Going beyond those orders was reckless and foolhardy. I warned you, no unnecessary murders, no pain games and now I find out you have been playing with the girl for almost ten years, terrifying her and turning her into a missile launched at our very hearts. I should come and kill you myself for your arrogance and stupidity."

So, it had come to threats, I wanted to threaten him in return but I couldn't get the words to pass my lips. I hated it but I was afraid of Marcus Volturi, no, more than that, I was terrified.

"I'm warning you, James, if I become convinced that you have done the things the girl declares you guilty of I will hunt you down and kill you myself, am I making myself clear enough?In the meantime perhaps you can change my mind by collecting together my army and ensuring they are able to work together coherently. Oh, and be careful because I shall be watching you closely from this point."

When he disconnected I wanted to sneer at him, who did he think he was to threaten me but my mouth was dry and I noticed with disgust that my hand shook slightly. Could I trust him to let me get on with things? Or should I be trying to cover my back?


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

 **Carlisle**

I came into the lounge from the clinic to find a heated discussion taking place between Alice and Edward on one side and Esme and Emmett on the other. Things had been tense since Bella attacked Rosalie and I first thought this was just another argument about whether we should turn our backs on the girl and leave her to James or Marcus. Edward and Alice were suspicious of his motives for taking her in the first place.

"You do realize if Marcus is trying to collect gifts then he might well be getting ready to stage some kind of attack on Aro, Carlisle? Which would put us right in the firing line? Is the girl or your friendship with Marcus worth that price?"

I thought the real problem for the two of them was that neither's gift worked on Bella, Alice couldn't see her future or ours while she was here and Edward couldn't read her thoughts which frustrated him tremendously. Personally, I thought it was a good lesson for the two of them in how the rest of us lived all the time.

However on this occasion, I was mistaken. The problem was Rosalie's suggestion that Bella would never learn to trust us unless we showed her that we trusted her.

"Allowing her into the rest of the house is plain suicide, the first chance she gets she'll kill us all, she's already told us that on numerous occasions, not forgetting the attack on your mate Emmett, or had that little incident slipped your mind?"

Emmett scowled at Alice, an expression rarely seen on his amiable face and it made her sit back a little in her chair.

"I hadn't forgotten Alice but thanks for reminding me. I trust Rosalie and if she says Bella is capable of holding her anger towards vampires in check then we have to give her a chance. What's the alternative after all? Spending the rest of our lives in those suits? Hell, I can't even get one to fit me."

Alice scowled back at that but it was Edward who spoke up,

"The rest of our lives? There is no way that girl is staying with us, she should be gone already, she can walk and I think we should give her back to Marcus and before you say it, I don't care what he's got in mind for her, it's none of our business."

"Edward, that will do. Show a little pity, the girl has been through a terrible ordeal lasting years. Surely we can show her that not all vampires are monsters. I will not agree to her being sent back to that James, or Marcus for that matter."

Esme rarely showed her annoyance or put her foot down but when she did everyone took notice,

"Now, if you feel the experiment is too dangerous then by all means make yourself scarce for the day. Jasper has told us he will ensure there are no accidents. He will feel if she gets ready to attack and stop her."

"Well that's reassuring, let's just hope he isn't overconfident. I have a sneaky feeling he's intrigued by her."

"

Are you saying you don't trust your brother?"

There was a deathly hush,

"I didn't think so. Well then, I suggest we speak to Bella Carlisle and see what she has to say unless you have any objections to the suggestion."

I knew better than to oppose my mate when she was in this kind of mood so I just smiled,

"Certainly, let me just check on my patient first."

I hadn't wanted to go back to work at the local clinic but Rosalie was adamant she could cope with Jasper's help and I didn't want her to think I felt otherwise. Besides, since the attempt on Rosalie's life she and Bella seemed to have come to an understanding. It was almost as if Bella had decided if Rosalie could continue to hold out the hand of friendship after such a deed then she could, in turn, trust her. What her feelings were towards Jasper I didn't quite understand. They rarely spoke, and Bella stopped baiting him and seemed content for him to be around, a silent figure in the background. I had suggested he might like to take some time off now Bella no longer needed his gift but as he pointed out, we might well need his gift if she didn't. Besides which only his lightning reflexes and his instinct had saved his sister's life.

 **Bella**

I tried so hard to keep hating these strange vampires, after all, I had seen I thought it would be easy but every day became harder. They were nothing like Diablo or his people, not like the soldiers who guarded me or the fighters, newborn vampires. I tried to trip them up, I even tried to kill Rosalie but nothing I did or said made them act any differently towards me. I was treated with gentleness and courtesy by everyone even those I knew were afraid of me.

Rosalie became the first vampire I even found any warmth for, maybe that's why I tried to kill her, hoping I would feel differently or she would, should she survive, afterwards but nothing changed in her demeanour to me.

What did change was my attitude to her and more importantly to Jasper? Why I couldn't hate him as much as I did Diablo when he reminded me so strongly of my tormentor I couldn't begin to imagine.

Yes, he reminded me of Diablo but there was a vast difference between the two. Diablo exuded an air of evil and revelled in torturing and murdering both humans and other vampires while Jasper… well, Jasper had an air of danger around him, as if he could be violent if the need arose but there was something else, a sense of peace, a sense that this man did not want to be what nature, or vampirism, had made him.

I knew, with no way of knowing how, that he would never harm me, whatever the provocation. After all, he could and probably should, have killed me when I attacked Rosalie but instead he had risked his own life and then kept me too sluggish to do anything more until the situation was resolved and any danger averted. I had wanted to ask him why but I always felt tongue-tied in his presence these days and a little ashamed at the way I had baited him in the early days.

When Rosalie told me that I was to be allowed out of this room I was elated but also shocked. Was this a trick? Would I find myself back in Diablo's camp when I opened the door? Carlisle told me the same,

"I'd like your word that you won't attack anyone Bella after all, this is my family and I love them all. I'm taking a huge leap of faith allowing you to wander freely and I'd like to know you will not betray my trust."

"I could promise and be lying."

"Yes, you could."

I wasn't sure what to say but something stopped me from lying to him. At the same time, I knew that if I betrayed this trust there would be no place for me on this planet, I would have indeed become the monster Diablo had wanted me to be. So, now was crunch time, I had to choose which path to take.

"If you try to betray me I will kill as many of you as I can, but if you are telling the truth, if I really am safe here then you have my word."

He nodded,

"Fair enough. Well let's start with a show of faith on my part shall we?"

He lifted his visor off and laid it on the edge of the bed then pulled off his gloves before offering me a bare hand.

"Shall we take a walk?"

I tensed as he opened the door but there was no one waiting for me, no Diablo and I walked at his side, slowly and stiffly, walking was still difficult, my legs didn't always do what I wanted them to and I was nervous being in such close proximity to him.

Human touch, or vampiric touch for that matter, was something I had little experience of. I was rarely touched and never held or cuddled once I was snatched and since my poisoned blood was discovered I had never been touched except by this man and his "daughter" and even then only with latex between us.

Now I felt his cold hard flesh against mine and it was strange, to feel anyone's hand in mine. I flashed back to my mom holding my hand, my dad swinging me up in the air by my hands and grieved for everything that had been denied me.

I felt a presence at my back and whirled around ready to attack but it was Jasper walking slowly behind and I knew he was their insurance policy. I had no doubt he could knock me out in an instant but it didn't matter, I had no intention of breaking my word, so long as they didn't.

"Would you like to rest? Or can you make it to the house?"

I looked up not concentrating on my feet for a moment and saw I had emerged from a short hallway into the fresh air and before me stood a house, gleaming in the afternoon sun which reflected off the huge glass expanse of windows.

Standing at the door was Esme smiling at me encouragingly but I felt a sudden panic, this was all too much for me, I wanted to run but then I felt another hand clasp my free one, Jasper was there and the panic was gone. I could do this, I nodded and we walked slowly to Esme who greeted me, taking my hand and inviting me inside. We couldn't go through the doorway together but it was Jasper's hand I continued to grasp tightly and Carlisle who dropped back to follow with Rosalie.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

 **Esme**

Bella looked so small and fragile as she made her way slowly and hesitantly to the door with Carlisle and Jasper escorting her and Rosalie following on behind. When she reached me I greeted her warmly, to show her she was welcome and stood aside for her to enter. I had expected Jasper to fall back so was surprised when it was Carlisle who did so but then I saw her white knuckles, she was gripping Jasper's hand so tightly I knew she was scared.

Once inside Jasper led her into the lounge where Emmett sat playing a computer game but when she entered he put the controller down and smiled at our guest. Emmett's size was always a disadvantage, he looked dangerous and of course, he was the one who had caused all Bella's injuries but as I should have known, my overgrown puppy of a son knew how to handle the situation.

He fell to his knees and held up his hands beseechingly,

"Please forgive me, Bella, I never meant to hurt you, I was just looking out for Rosie. Do I get a second chance?"

She stared at him a little bewildered and I wondered what her response would be. Then she managed a weak smile, she hadn't seen him more than once since the incident, we couldn't find a decontamination suit large enough for him.

"I guess I can't blame you for protecting Rosalie and if you can give me a second chance I guess I can hardly refuse to give you the same."

I felt the tension leech away as Emmett nodded, climbed to his feet and held out a hand. Bella looked at it then around at us all.

"I could kill you all with a single drop of fluid from my body yet here you are offering me your hands. I don't understand you at all."

I offered her a seat and she almost pulled Jasper down beside her, why had she chosen him as the one to offer her reassurance when she had spent weeks goading him? Rose was watching them too and I wondered what it was that put the faint smile on her lips.

Remembering my manners as the hostess I offered Bella a drink which she politely refused. It occurred to me that she may not have been given a choice before but I didn't push it.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better thank you but still confused. I don't understand why you are all being so kind to me and allowing someone who could kill you into your house. Why are you so trusting?"

"I think the question should be why don't you trust anyone Bella and I'm afraid the answer is because you've never been shown any trust and neither have you seen anything that would lead you to trust anyone. We won't hurt you, we only want to help."

Bella smiled a little sadly,

"I don't think anyone can help me Esme but thank you. One day Diablo will track me down and then you'll be forced to give me up. How did you know about me anyway?"

Carlisle looked a little uncomfortable but answered her truthfully,

"James, Diablo, was recruited by someone to collect gifted humans. I do not know why but I do know that the person who recruited him is extremely angry with the treatment James gave you. In fact, I think James may be in serious trouble, not hunting you any longer but trying to save his own neck."

Bella had become wary,

"How do you know all this if you don't know Diablo?"

"Because it was the man who recruited him who asked us to look for you and try to help you."

We should have foreseen Bella's reaction, she lifted a hand to bite the palm ready to use her blood to attack but before she could do so she slumped back Jasper holding the bleeding hand at the wrist and wrapping it with a piece torn from his shirt sleeve. He was staring into Bella's face and speaking to her very quietly, reassuring her that he wouldn't hurt her, that she was safe, that he had only acted to stop her doing something silly.

"Bella, you must let Carlisle finish explaining. The man who hired Diablo didn't know what he was doing, that he was exceeding his orders, the way he mistreated you. He is hunting Diablo down and when he finds him he will kill him. And if for any reason he can't, then I will. No one will ever hurt you again, I promise you that."

Alice and Edward who had just come into the room looked worried,

"Is she attacking already? I told you, Esme."

"Alice shut it and sit down."

She stared at Jasper, he never raised his voice or spoke to her so sharply and she was dumbstruck. She and Edward sat down as far from Bella as they could and remained silent.

"I'm going to let you free but please don't do anything threatening or I'll have to stop you again and I'd rather not. Let us explain everything and try to remember none of us has hurt you in any way since we brought you here. You are in no danger from anyone here. The man who had you snatched never meant for you to be taken as a child, or to see the terrible things Diablo forced you to. He hasn't told Carlisle why he wanted gifted vampires or an army but I think we can all guess."

Bella was sitting forward now holding her bandaged hand in the other, her attention on Jasper as he continued to speak.

"I think he has decided he's had enough of Aro's rule and plans on taking over the Volturi, the leadership of our world Bella."

She didn't say anything but I could see that she was totally focused on Jasper and when she spoke it was to him and no one else as if we no longer existed.

"What good would I have been to this man? I was a child, a little girl when my parents were butchered in front of me and I was taken."

"I don't know Bella but someone knew you had a gift and it had nothing to do with your poisonous blood. That came later, or at least they only found out about it later."

"What do you mean? They tried to change me into a vampire but I killed everyone who bit me, it was terrible but I got my revenge."

Carlisle spoke at that moment and Bella jumped, I'd been right, she had forgotten us.

"So, I was right. Whatever caused this problem with your bodily fluids happened before James took you, it must have. Unless of course he experimented on you. Did he ever do that?"

She shook her head,

"No, he never laid a finger on me physically. So you mean I've always been deadly to vampires? I wish I'd known, I could have killed Diablo and his friends years ago and saved a lot of human lives. But how did I get like this?"

"I don't know yet but I hope to find out."

"And what will you do then Carlisle? Change my blood so I'm no longer a danger to vampires?"

"I doubt that's possible Bella, after all, you had enough fresh blood transfused into you when you arrived and your blood, is still as poisonous as it ever was. No, I think knowing might be interesting for you. It might explain why changing you into a vampire only worked partially. Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'd like to be normal Carlisle. I'd like to be human again but that's not possible. Do you think I could ever be completely vampire?"

"Again I don't know but whatever I find out I promise I will tell you."

She looked back at Jasper guiltily.

"Do I have to go back to my room now?"

"Do you want to?"

"No, but I thought after the way I acted…"

She held out her bandaged hand.

"No, but I think it might be wise to bind that up properly, don't you?"

She smiled and nodded, relieved we weren't punishing her for her actions. I hoped it might help her to understand that we wanted to be her friends, to help her and as there seemed to be a connection between her and Jasper as well as Rosalie. I hoped we were finally getting through.

After another hour, even Alice and Edward were warming to Bella and sat along with the rest of us while she had dinner. Jasper being the only one absent. He had excused himself much to Bella's consternation and left. It took her a little while but I think it suddenly occurred to her that we were confident enough to let our main defence against an attack leave and she began to relax naturally.

She was curious about our diet although a little shy in asking questions and was fascinated by Carlisle's refusal to allow becoming a vampire to turn him into a monster. She listened as we told her our individual stories one by one. I think it helped to see us as people instead of just vampires, indeed at the end of the meal she smiled,

"I never thought about the human lives vampires had left behind, You were all like me once before some Diablo snatched you from your world and drew you into theirs."

While Rose took Bella's dishes and cutlery away careful not to handle anything that might be contaminated with saliva we all moved back into the lounge and Emmett, much to my surprise took Jasper's place at her side. Of course, again it was exactly the right thing to do, showing her his trust in her.

It was at that point I knew Bella was going to be OK, with us and with herself, it would just take time although how much of that we had was open to debate.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

 **James**

I had been wrestling with my options since I last spoke to Marcus, continuing with his plan while worrying what I could do to protect myself if he decided to make good on his threat. There was really only one option and I didn't want to explore that unless it was absolutely necessary but then I heard from him again.

He was furious with me, it seems Bella had been busy telling tales and he was hearing everyone, choosing to believe her over me. Well, he would find out that no one threatened me without finding out just how truly evil I could really be. I needed protection and only one man could offer me that protection against Marcus Volturi, Aro himself but approaching him wasn't without its dangers too. What if he didn't believe me? Could I prove my assertion that Marcus was plotting his downfall?

 **Marcus**

I knew threatening James wasn't without risk to myself but as I assured Carlisle, I would never have agreed to such a young human being taken from its parents or treated in such a horrific way. James had overstepped the mark by a mile and I would find him and kill him but first, I had to watch my back. I doubted he would contact Aro and Caius and tell them what I was doing but it paid to trust no one if you wanted to stay alive in my world.

Carlisle seemed to accept my words and told me that Darius would be watching to see if James made any move against me, nevertheless, I decided to ensure I had an escape route open ready to use at a moment's notice. Luckily I already had a small trip outside Volterra planned, in fact, it had been planned for a long time.

Once a year I left Volterra to visit curators of the private museums in Italy at their conference, looking for new acquisitions and it was scheduled for the following week. It might be as well to take advantage of its opportunity to get out of the citadel, in any case, I would wait and see.

 **James**

Contacting Aro Volturi wasn't easy, there were hoops to jump through first and by the time I finally persuaded the person on the end of the phone I was for real I was losing what little control I had over my temper but to speak to Aro like that would get me nowhere, I needed to be calm and careful in my words.

"I understand you have something of interest to tell me, do I know you?"

"No, my name is James, I'm a tracker."

"I see James well trackers are always valuable, are you looking for a place in the Volturi guard? If so you should be speaking to Felix, he handles all the….hiring."

I wanted to punch him for his scornful way of talking but I bit back my temper and carried on,

"Actually, I have some sensitive information I think you would be interested in hearing."

"Really? Do go on."

"Before I do I need something in return, but only if you find the information useful of course."

I cursed inwardly, that sounded defensive, like I was scared of him.

"Money James?"

"Protection and money, and an area of land to oversee."

"I take it this information is extremely valuable if you are asking so much. I'm curious. Let's say I am prepared to consider your fee."

It was probably the best I could hope to expect before he heard what I had to say so I decided to go ahead. I explained that someone was building a secret army, including gifts, to use against him."

"James, there are always rumors of secret armies planning to overthrow the Volturi but none even come to more than smoke and mirrors. If this is all you have for me…"

"Wait."

I was terrified he might hang up on me,

"Not the Volturi Aro, to overthrow your leadership, it's not the same thing."

There was a thoughtful silence, then,

"I see. And how is it you know about this secret army James?"

I took a deep breath and dived in,

"Because I was building it and collecting the gifts but for someone else, not for myself."

"I see and do I take it there has been a falling out among thieves? Who is your secret backer?"

"I want payment before I go any further, your word that when I am proved right you will arrange a sanctuary for me and once your opponent is dead, a million dollars and the southern united states for my own kingdom."

"You think your information is very valuable. What if I just sent Felix and some of the guard to hunt you down and get the information you are trying to sell me?"

"It would take too long, I don't know how much time you have left. He could decide to attack any time now."

 **Aro**

Sometimes information came from the strangest sources, of course, James wouldn't get everything he wanted, he could hold the southern United States as his private domain but still under our rule, that wasn't a problem, not for me at least. He could take responsibility for the nomads who travelled through, keep their presence secret and clean up any mess they left but the money? What on earth did he want with all that money? His safety? Well, I would keep my word. After all, it showed me in a good light, that I appreciated loyalty but the name of my opponent was something of a shock. How could Marcus possibly organize such a thing behind my back, what had happened to Chelsea's influence?

Could it be that he was not acting alone? Was Chelsea in on it too? James hadn't mentioned anyone else although I had questioned him closely about Caius. If my other brother were involved it would be far more dangerous for me but James was adamant this was Marcus alone.

So, what should I do? Well, first of all, put feelers out, make sure James was not lying and using me to get revenge on Marcus for some injury. In fact, that seemed the most likely reason for the call but I was far too canny to be caught out like that. I made my way to Caius' study pondering on the other piece of information James had told me. Seems there was a human who is deadly to vampires. Now that I was interested in but of course James couldn't tell me where she was, she had conveniently escaped and according to James was being kept secretly by friends of Marcus'. Now that was a joke, Marcus had no friends, he didn't even have any acquaintances except for Caius and myself. Besides, who would risk taking in a toxic human? Maybe I should just wait for the vampires to start dying! If such a human existed, though, what a coup that would be, to have in your power a gift that could not be hidden from or withstood.

Oh, how I wanted such a gift, to watch my enemies and criminals die in agony before my very eyes after a single drop of blood were dropped on their skin by a seemingly harmless young girl. So, I had insisted James track her down for me, her location was the key to unlocking the security he so obviously needed right now.

I rapped once on Caius' door and strode in to find him reading a manuscript, his feet up on his desk looking slightly bored.

"Aro, sit down. Tell me you have something more interesting than this dross."

He dropped the manuscript to the table putting his feet down and pulling his chair closer. I recognized Marcus' handwriting, the distinctive flow of his quill.

"What is it?"

"

A list of artefacts he wants to acquire and their provenance, the man is like a squirrel, hiding away nuts for the lean times. Don't we have enough art and literature in the archives? I don't know why you pamper his greed."

"Marcus knows what he wants and has built up the best collection of art and literature in the world. We make connections and trade with some of this, lending it to museums and art galleries or even private collectors who will pay anything, do anything, merely to acquire a piece for a few weeks or months."

Caius was bored already when not involved with fighting or wenching he was lost and out of his depth. If only he could be more like my brother in law, a connoisseur of fine things. Still, what I had to tell him would change his demeanour that I knew for a fact, Caius was predictable if nothing else.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

 **Bella**

I hadn't known what to expect but certainly not to find myself liking this strange family or to feel grateful for all their acts of kindness towards me. Somehow hearing their stories, the lives they had in the human world and lost when bitten by a vampire, helped me to see that they could empathize with my own story. That no matter what Diablo had told me, despite the terrible acts I had seen vampires commit over the years there were such things as good vampires. Rose's story, in particular, struck a chord, she had been brutalized by humans not vampires and saved by Carlisle. I didn't fit in any world but for the first time I felt I wasn't an outsider nor was I in danger.

When I finally began to flag unable to stifle a yawn Esme insisted I needed to rest I felt a sense of panic, I didn't want to go back to that sterile room locked away from everyone else but then she glanced at Carlisle and smiled at me.

"We thought you might prefer not to go back to Carlisle's clinic room Bella. Would you like a room in the house? I know it means being surrounded by vampires but you wouldn't feel so isolated. It's entirely up to you, though."

I could hardly believe what she was saying, they were prepared to have me among them full time? Did they trust me that much? But then they always had Jasper to control me if I tried to run amok.

I decided to take the plunge and nodded,

"Thank you, Esme, I'd like that. I've spent so much time alone it would be nice to feel there were people around me."

She took my hand, a sensation I was only slowly coming to accept easily and showed me upstairs to a pretty room in the first floor. It was decorated in pink and cream with a cushioned window seat, pretty flower oil paintings on the walls and a door which she explained led through to a bathroom complete with tub and walk in shower.

"I hope you don't mind but Rosalie and I went shopping and bought you some clothes. You didn't have anything when we found you and you can hardly go around in pajamas all the time."

I couldn't speak I was so full of emotion at the show of yet more kindness,

"Of course, once you are fully recovered you can shop for your own things, I hope we found some things that meet with your approval. Anyway, I'll leave you to settle in. If you need anything just let me know."

Once she was gone I explored, the room was huge and floor length windows framed by heavy pink velvet drapes opened onto a small balcony which overlooked a garden leading into some trees at the far end. The bathroom was equipped with everything I could ever have wanted including large fluffy towels and the room was warm, the air scented from the vase of flowers, pink and white roses that sat on the small table by the bed. I hadn't been in surroundings like these since I was a little girl at home with my parents, and it brought back memories I had to force away.

Suddenly I felt nervous, this was the first time I could remember I had been truly alone. There had always been a guard at the door and since I got here Jasper had been a constant presence. Perhaps one of them was even now standing guard over me just outside my door.

I listened but I couldn't hear any movement but then these were vampires! Unable to relax until I knew I moved quietly to the door and turned the handle just enough to open it and peer out. The hallway was deserted but I could hear voices downstairs recognizing Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Edward and Emmett. Where were Rosalie and Jasper? Then I heard the sounds of a shower running so one was in their room, but which one? Suddenly I wished I'd opted to go back to my old room, at least Jasper would be there with me.

I stopped, a hand to my mouth, what was happening to me, he had some kind of hold over me and I knew it had nothing to do with his gift. I trusted that he would never use it in that way, no, this was something else. Something I didn't understand and I had no one I could ask. Panic began to well up in me, I felt so alone and when there was a soft knock at my door I jumped.

"Bella, it's Rose, can I come in?"

It was strange, someone asking permission to come in, I'd never been asked before but I pulled myself together and called out, "Sure".

She came in slowly and stayed by the door until I invited her to sit down,

"Are you OK? It must be strange for you, a house full of the enemy. I'm surprised you didn't lock the door."

I hadn't even noticed the key in the lock until she said that and shrugged,

"I don't think a lock would keep a vampire out do you?"

"No, but it would have given you a chance to prepare, cut yourself or something. Anyway, is there anything you need?"

I could smell her shampoo, so it had been her in the shower which meant Jasper was still unaccounted for. As if she could read my mind she grinned,

"Jasper will be back soon, he went hunting but he asked me to tell you he'll call in as soon as he gets back. He didn't want to go, I had to threaten to boot him out."

I nodded, he didn't owe me any explanation but I had missed him when he walked out and didn't come back.

"Bella, this is probably none of my business but neither of you has anyone else so here goes. I don't know if you understand the connection between yourself and Jasper."

"Connection? I don't know what you mean."

"I know you don't, I'm not sure he does either so let me try to help you both. How do you feel about him? I mean not as a vampire, as a man."

"Well, he's always been there so I guess I miss him when he isn't, like now. I'm not used to being alone. I guess I feel safe when he's here and I believed him when he promised that no one would hurt me again but I don't know why. I was a real bitch to him, Rosalie. You heard some of the things I said yet he never once got angry or said anything cruel or unkind, why?"

She leaned forward staring into my face,

"Jasper meant every word, he never lies and I think he's very fond of you. I think you like him a lot too but you are still fighting the feelings because of everything you've been through. Give him a chance Bella and he will let you know how he feels, trust him even if you don't trust another soul, I do and I trust very few people. I know how your history colors the way you think and feel, how hard it is to trust but you have to take that first step, just like you did with us."

"You mean like you all did with me, despite everything?"

"Well, trust is a two-way thing Bella, you earn it and you have to allow yourself to give it. Think about that, think about the way he makes you feel too."

I sat thinking just as she had said and finally looked up unable to vocalize my thoughts.

She smiled then got up and nodded,

"You're a survivor Bella like me, you'll make it."

And with that she left me alone with my thoughts and those thoughts made me more confused not less.

I have no idea how long I sat thinking but eventually my eyes closed and I fell asleep only to wake some time later at the sound of another tap at my door, this one so low if I'd been completely human I wouldn't have heard it. Thinking it was Rose coming back to see if I'd made any sense of our earlier conversation I called for her to come in but instead it was Jasper who appeared looking a little unsure of himself for the first time.

"Sorry to disturb you, Bella, I wasn't sure if you would still be awake."

"I wasn't, your knock woke me up. I was expecting Rosalie."

He wasn't sure how to answer that,

"My hearing is almost as good as a vampire, that's how I heard your knock but don't worry about it. How did your hunt go?"

He shrugged,

"It was OK I guess. It just seemed odd being away from you after all we've been in each other's company almost continuously since you arrived."

"It must have been nice to get away from me then. Jasper, there's something I want to say to you. I wanted to apologize, I've said some really dreadful things to you, hurtful things and I'd like to say sorry."

His smile was dazzling and I felt my throat go dry, my heartbeat speed up and knew I felt something special; for this vampire much as I tried to fight against it.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

 **Caius**

Aro had that look on his face, the one he wore when he had a secret, one he knew would either interest or annoy me but his eyes told a different tale. They told me he was excited and concerned at the same time. Well, things had been quiet for far too long, it had become boring and at last maybe something had come to stir things up.

"Well, don't just sit there looking like the cat who just ate the canary, what's going on?"

"I had a very interesting conversation with a nomad a little while ago. It seems there is the possibility that someone is planning a revolt against us."

I saw that flicker in his eye, the tell tale that he was lying about something and as he'd only uttered two sentences there were only two possibilities. Either the phone call was a lie or the revolt was against him not us. It would be interesting to find out which.

I listened as he told me exactly what the nomad, called James had said not sure whether to believe him or not, just like Aro but I couldn't think of a reason for the nomad to lie about Marcus. If he just wanted to get his own back, why? Marcus hardly ever left Volterra, what could he have done to cause such hatred in another? What concerned me more, considerably more was the talk of a lethal human.

"And you think he was telling the truth about her? It doesn't seem possible, how could human blood be deadly to vampires?"

"Not only deadly Caius, her blood and other bodily fluids change vampires back to their human state. Can you imagine what that would mean for vampires our age? Agony, ageing, and a slow decay to dust. I told him he must find her whereabouts for me. I won't act until I have something."

"Are you checking up on Marcus?"

"Of course, it doesn't pay to ignore any warning, however far fetched it may appear. Felix is checking on any communication Marcus had with the outside world. If he has been in contact with James we will know soon enough."

"And what exactly do you intend doing if James far-fetched tale about the girl is true?"

Then I understood the look in Aro's eyes, avarice coloured by a little fear.

"You intend bringing her to Volterra? Are you mad?"

"Mad? No, but don't you think if such a human exists we should have control of her?"

"No, I think if such a human exists and I doubt very much one does, then she should be eliminated immediately for all our sakes."

"Well, there will be time to discuss the subject more if the girl does indeed exist and James is able to pinpoint her location for us. At the moment I am more concerned about Marcus. I think perhaps a conversation with Chelsea may be in order, don't you?"

 **Darius**

Something was up in Volterra, my spy inside the citadel could tell me that much. Aro and Caius had been deep in conversation for sometime and then Chelsea had been summoned and at the same time Felix was busy on secret business for Aro and my spy thought he had seen Marcus name on a computer screen before the door to Felix room was slammed shut. Now put together with what we knew that set alarm bells ringing for me and I decided to do a little spying on my own.

It wasn't easy to break into the Volturi computer system and even more difficult to circumvent the security in place on Felix computer but I was good, very good, and I found my way in after a few hours tracing the browsing history on Felix' computer first. That was innocuous enough but then I found a nice little secure vault which was only too happy to allow me in after I sent it a little sniffer to find the codes. This was far more troubling although so far nothing serious had been discovered.

Felix was looking into all Marcus' phone records and emails. Now, was he looking for a link between Marcus and James? It seemed likely although he hadn't found it yet. The problem was that whatever security Marcus was using to hide such a link would probably also show that he had been in contact with Carlisle. If he or Aro put two and two together it could, invariably would, mean danger for my friends too. I needed to find it before Felix did, if that were possible, he had a huge head start on me, and destroy it.

 **Carlisle**

Darius rang to warn me that there had been a search for Marcus' contacts and he thought that along with the facts that Caius and Aro were very buddy buddy right now and Chelsea was being interrogated pointed to a leak, not necessarily about Bella but about Marcus having something to hide.

"It amounts to the same thing though Carlisle. The only person who could have told Aro about Marcus' treachery is James and he would certainly hold out the prize of a lethal human too. I think you should warn your friend he should get the hell out of dodge before the shit hits the fan and it might be as well for the family to disappear too. All the clues will lead to your involvement eventually, after all Aro isn't stupid whatever else he might be."

Darius was right of course, once Aro knew there was a human with the ability to kill vampires he would want her. James was sure to use her as a bargaining chip and even if Marcus escaped in time, Aro or more likely Felix would find Marcus had been in communication with me and know it must be connected to the girl. We had to move out now, somewhere not linked to the family in any way if we were to have a hope of evading the Volturi but first I had to warn Marcus he was under suspicion. I just hoped he would pick up my message in time.

We had an alarm code and I used it now which should alert him to trouble, then I went to round up the family and hold a crisis meeting. I just hoped this wouldn't upset Bella's progress too much but it couldn't be helped and if necessary Jasper would have to keep her calm until she understood we were trying to keep her safe. The thought that more powerful vampires with longer, stronger, reaches might be hunting her was something I wasn't sure she was ready to deal with yet.

 **Aro**

I could see I might have trouble with Caius over the girl, he just didn't see how valuable she could be to us. True it would be like having a wild tiger in the citadel but there had to be a way to keep her here safely and I would find it, I had to. Chelsea had proved no help at all, she was adamant that her influence on Marcus was as strong as always and accused the nomad of being a liar when I told her of his accusation.

I had no reason to disbelieve her, Chelsea's loyalty had never been suspect but I saw Caius watching her closely. Still, Caius never trusted anyone, he thought us all as devious as himself.

"I think we should have Marcus watched, if he is up to something he'll soon give himself away Aro. I don't trust him and I certainly don't trust Chelsea."

"Oh? Why is that brother?"

"Just a feeling Aro but then sometimes I don't trust you either and this is one of those occasions. Are you really set on having this human here in Volterra?"

"Think of what we could do with her."

"I'm more worried about what she could do to us. How do we control her? If she's part human but also part vampire have you considered that perhaps Chelsea won't be able to control her? I assume you were thinking of using Chelsea? She would slaughter us all and there would be nothing we could do about it. It's a stupid idea and I refuse to let you bring her into the citadel. If you want to catch the tiger by it's tail be my guest but not here."

"You are being unreasonable Caius, these words are driven by irrational fear of the unknown."

"She is the unknown Aro but irrational? No, bringing someone into our home who is capable of killing us all without raising a sweat? That's clearly deranged."

I turned and left, he wasn't thinking this through but he would eventually, and then he would turn to my way of thinking, at least I hoped so or things could become awkward, it was best to leave him to it…..for now at least.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

 **Marcus**

I saw the message from Carlisle and froze, was there a problem with the girl? Had she escaped or worst yet died or killed one of his family. Whatever the news it was bad and I found a quiet spot to use one of the cell phones I had smuggled into Volterra when I decided, after meeting James, to put my plan into operation.

There were four of them, all untraceable to me, all safe as far as was possible. One I used for contact with James, one which was now used for contact with Carlisle and the other two saved for emergencies, unused until now. I rang his number praying no one was dead, especially the girl.

Carlisle picked up immediately cautious when he didn't recognize the number until he heard my voice.

"Marcus, thank God. You need to get out of Volterra. We think James might have contacted Aro and told him of your plans, you aren't safe there any longer."

"Are you sure? No one has acted strangely and I've heard nothing."

"Sure enough to warn you, my friend. Can you get out?"

"Oh yes, I made sure I had an exit strategy but I may not even need it if I act quickly enough. What about you old friend? If Aro traces my calls and I'm guessing he will eventually if given good reason then you too are in danger."

"We're already packing."

"And the girl? How is she?"

"Doing well under the circumstances but you'll see for yourself when you join us."

"Do you think that's wise? It will only bring more trouble to your door."

"I think it's a little late to concern ourselves with that don't you? Besides where else can you go? I assume James knows the whereabouts of all your supporters?"

"Actually no, I haven't totally lost my wits, Carlisle. Although he trained them all a lot were then moved on and he only knows the location of the secondary camp and connections to reach my searcher. I must warn Paris to go underground, Aro would kill him for aiding me. Where can I find you?"

"When you get to the States ring this number and you'll find a message. Leave a reply in your own voice and I'll ring you on this number. I assume it's clean?"

"Yes, never used until now and it has several layers of encryption and security."

"Very well, best of luck my friend, I just hope you don't need it."

I collected together the essentials, having already made arrangements for travelling to Rome. If I wasn't questioned as I took one of the cars then Aro hadn't found any proof and had decided against acting yet and I might just make it out.

If I was stopped for any reason then I would put plan B into operation which involved a small fire in the archives, harming nothing valuable but causing enough confusion for me to slip into the tunnel I had found and kept secret over the centuries. It led from the far end of the archives all the way down to the base of the mountain coming out beneath the small shrine that lay at the back of an abandoned chapel. There hidden deep under a mound of rubble was a motorbike which I kept maintained and gassed ready and had for a very long time.

My main advantage was that Aro was so confident in Chelsea's ability to keep me loyal to him that he never considered its effect might diminish over the centuries. It was a long time before I found myself questioning some of his decisions and then I realized what was happening and over the last fifty years I had been virtually a free agent which is when I decided I must act to stop him. He was no longer the man I had met and admired so long ago, power had corrupted him and greed turned his head. Our kind deserves better leadership and I thought I could offer them that.

 **Aro**

Although it seemed unlikely that Marcus had indeed done anything in opposition to me I hadn't remained leader of the Volturi as long as I had by taking any chances and I wasn't about to start now. Felix may be coming up empty but it would be worthwhile watching Marcus more closely. I called for Afton and gave him a new assignment.

"I want you to watch Marcus closely and report back to me if he does anything you consider suspicious."

Afton looked at me puzzled,

"You want me to spy on Marcus?"

"That's what I said. He spends all his time in the archives and he would question anyone else hanging around in there for long periods, you he won't see, so no awkward questions, do you see? Now go, I want you to begin immediately."

"How long am I to watch him and how do I report to you?"

"As long as I deem necessary, you need only report if you see or hear anything that seems out of place."

He went and not for the first time I wondered what it was that had drawn Corin to him, she was such a beautiful girl and so intelligent, nothing like Afton at all.

After he left feeling I had done as much as necessary for now I went to find Felix, surely he would have found something by now if there had been anything in the first place that was. When I entered his room it was to find Caius already there grilling him about the "James plot" as he insisted on calling it. He was more interested in the girl, though.

"I have already told you, Caius. I've found nothing as yet to point towards Marcus having any nefarious intents. I traced James' history and even as a human he was cruel and lethal. I don't see how Marcus could have come in contact with him. As far as I can see James has never travelled to Italy and we know Marcus rarely leaves Volterra and certainly never travels abroad, besides Chelsea keeps him loyal. As for the girl, there is no trace of her either although I have found evidence of a compound rather like the one Maria maintains in Mexico but it is deserted and there are no clues as to why."

Caius turned to me with a self-satisfied smirk on his face,

"So, no girl, I'm glad to hear that Aro."

Then he turned and left shutting the door with a bang behind him.

Once he was out of earshot I raised an eyebrow questioningly, I knew even if Felix had found something he wouldn't have told Caius, his loyalty was to me, and me alone.

"I think there may be something to James claim after all. It took some digging but I eventually found a connection between Marcus and James. They are related although it's probably tenuous by now, not that it necessarily means anything but coincidences makes me nervous."

I could see there was more,

"Go on."

He tapped a few keys and a graph popped up with several lines marked in red among many others in blue.

"The blue are cell phones owned by anyone in the citadel. Everyone knows they have to register their cell phone and I've never had any problems until now. The red are unknown cell phone activity. Someone inside the citadel is using unregistered cell phones. Now, again it may mean nothing but added together these things are beginning to make me uneasy."

"Then I'm glad I'm having Marcus watched. Well done Felix, can you trace the location of the calls?"

"No, not yet but I will. Do you want me to keep all this from Caius?"

"Oh, I think it might be a good idea, who knows I might need to use him again."

"Poor Caius and he thinks he has everything under control. He actually thinks he knows everything that goes on in the Volturi."

"Just as well he doesn't, I'm sure he wouldn't be happy to find out that he took the fall for Sara's death. Poor Caius has no idea who really killed Darius' mate and he'd love to find out. Hiding from Darius isn't easy, especially when he's out for blood so to speak. What do you think he would say if he found out it was me who killed the stuck up little bitch?"

"I would say the question would be what would he do Aro. He'd kill you, or at least try for making him the fall guy for that particular death. More to the point, what would Caius and Marcus say if they found out that you were responsible for Didyme's murder?"

I was about to remind him that we never, ever, spoke about that particular incident, not even when sure we were alone when there was a rap on the door. I hoped it wasn't Caius but then, of course, he would hardly knock and wait to be invited in and if he had heard Felix words he would have stormed in. No one apart from Felix knew that I was responsible for my sister's murder, necessary to keep Marcus here where I needed him, but regrettable all the same.

Felix called for the caller to enter and Afton walked in looking relieved when he saw me.

"Aro, I've been looking all over for you."

"Why? You were supposed to be watching Marcus. What happened?"

"I went down to the archives but they were deserted. I waited for him but he never showed and on the way back I met Heidi who told me he'd already left."

"Left?"

"Yes, she saw him signing out one of the cars for his trip to Rome. She said he always goes, something about a conference."

I groaned, I'd forgotten, he was due to go tomorrow of course so why had he left early? Was he running? Had he somehow sensed I was on his trail?

"When did he leave?"

"I'm not sure, some hours ago I think. Do you want me to follow him to Rome?"

I wanted to kill Afton for his stupidity but instead, I just sent him to fetch Heidi. Felix was already activating the tracker device which was standard on all our vehicles but then he turned to me and shook his head.

"The car is stationary at the bottom of the mountain, he must have had other transport waiting, either that or he took off on foot. Do you want me to check the airlines? It'll take some time."

"Yes, do that. I want to know where my dear brother is headed."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **Jasper**

Bella and I just stood looking at each other, unsure what to say next. I couldn't make myself leave her room and she wasn't kicking me out. I had been uneasy the whole time I was away from her, only when I got back and could feel her close by did I begun to relax and once I was back in her company I felt at peace once more. Rose had been waiting when I got back and at first I had been terrified something had happened to Bella but she soon reassured me that everything was fine. She had a strange look on her face, partly amused, part nervous, what the hell was going on?

"Jazz, can I talk to you for a minute? It's important."

The last was added as I looked past her into the house.

"Sure Rose, what's the matter?"

She pulled me down beside her on the porch steps and began to talk, at least to question me first of all. Questions that made me feel extremely uncomfortable, intimate questions about my feelings for Bella but even so I was unable to lie to her.

When the interrogation finished she smiled knowingly,

"You really have got it bad, I was right and it's going to make things very difficult."

"Got what? Rose make sense, you're beginning to sound like Alice now, all knowing and smug about it."

"Oh, Alice didn't see this coming, none of us did. Bella feels the same way you know. I think there's enough vampire in her make-up to feel the pull."

I looked at her aghast,

"The pull? Rose, do you know what you are saying?"

"Yes, that you and Bella are mates which as I say is going to make things incredibly difficult for both of you. Wow! Don't forget what she's capable of for God's sake. One kiss and it's all over."

"Kiss? I doubt Bella would want to kiss me anyway. Unless of course she wanted to kill me."

"Don't act dumb Jazz, you know very well what I mean."

Of course, I did, it had occurred to me while I was out hunting that the feelings I had towards Bella were indeed the mating pull but how could she and I be mates…...even had we wanted to? As Rose said, the slightest kiss and I would be dying, touching her was dangerous enough, if she began to sweat I could find myself writhing in agony and becoming human once more as a prelude to an agonising death. Yet I could feel it even now and knew I wouldn't feel whole until I was back with Bella.

And here we were, together again, my anxieties gone now I was with my mate but how did she feel about me? Did she feel the same way I did?

"Jasper."

I looked up aware I had been revelling in her scent, her closeness,

"Yes?"

"Could you…...would you…...I mean….Oh hell, will you stay with me? I can't bear the thought of being on my own, it's just too much right now."

Relief flooded through me, I wasn't going to be kicked out after all.

"Of course, no problem. I guess we've been joined at the hip since you got here. I'm like a headache, you get used to it after a while."

 **Bella**

Relief flooded through me, he wasn't going to leave, I hadn't known how to ask or if he would agree but here he was, here we were, together.

"I guess it's selfish expecting you to sit here all night but I don't think I could sleep without you."

I blushed at the way that sounded but he appeared not to notice.

"You look washed out, it's been a stressful day for you. I'll make myself comfortable over here."

He sat down in the armchair by the window so I could see his shadow from the bed. Strangely he felt too distant but I could hardly ask him to drag the chair closer…..could I?

I climbed into bed sitting up against the pillows so I could see him better.

"You can't sleep like that and if I keep you awake Esme will have my hide."

I nodded and wriggled down lower until my head was resting on the pillow and I could just see his silhouette against the moonlight coming through the window.

"What will happen to me, Jasper?"

He was silent for a while and if I hadn't known that vampires never slept I would have assumed he had fallen asleep.

"What do you want to happen Bella?"

I shrugged knowing he could see me perfectly well although the room was dimly lit.

"I don't know, I've got nowhere to go and no family. It's scary but the only people I have known for the past…..well….years, are vampires and now I'm half one myself so I guess I don't belong anywhere. I can't live with humans and I don't trust vampires…..present company excepted."

I added the last quickly as I realized how rude I had sounded.

"Then maybe you should stay with those you do trust."

Stay with the Cullen family? It sounded like a wonderful idea, staying close to Esme and Rosalie, Emmett the bear and…

"Would you mind if I said I wanted to stay with you?"

As soon as I had said it I wished it unsaid, what kind of a fool question was that Bella?

"With us or with me in particular?"

Well, I'd asked for that! Pulling all my reserves together I answered him truthfully,

"With you in particular. There's something, some kind of connection…..it's…..oh if only I could string a sentence together and stop sounding like a total moron!"

Suddenly he was there beside the bed kneeling and looking into my face, my hand in his.

"You don't sound like a moron to me and the idea of staying with me sounds great. I'd like you to stay with me….forever."

I felt my eyes open wide with shock,

"Forever? No, I can't, I mean we can't…... we couldn't…...I could kill you by accident. All I would need to do was sneeze or cough. Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

"I know exactly what I am saying. Carlisle will work out a way to cure you of this predilection you have for killing vampires. It may take some time but I can wait. Just being close to you is enough for now. What do you say, Bella?"

I pulled my hand free reluctantly then felt its loss and grabbed his again.

"Jasper, I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with right now, probably ever but you can't want to tie yourself to someone who is deadly to you. I mean we can't even kiss. Of course, you might not want to kiss me anyway but…"

I was babbling, blushing crimson and wishing the floor would open up and swallow me when Jasper stood and settled himself on the bed beside me pulling me into his arms and holding me tight, my face against his chest.

"Bella, of course, I want to kiss you, what man wouldn't but I can wait…...as long as it takes. For now, this is fine."

I turned my head slightly to make sure I didn't wet his shirt with my lips accidentally and smiled, I felt safe and loved for the first time since my parents died.

 **Jasper**

Bella fell asleep in my arms and I laid back feeling happier than I had ever done when Rose poked her head round the door.

"Everything OK Jazz? Is Bella asleep only Peter's just pulling up and Carlisle says we are going to need to move sooner than he thought? You might want to speak to your friend and let Bella sleep for a while."

I didn't want to leave Bella, not now, nor did I want a confrontation with Peter who was going to hit the roof when he discovered what Bella meant to me but that too was unavoidable so laying her gently down I kissed her forehead and left her to sleep peacefully and unaware of the dangers, for a time.

Downstairs Peter and Charlotte had just walked through the door and already my friend was squaring up for a fight.

"So Carlisle, taken up keeping exotic and highly poisonous pets now have we? Don't you think that's a touch irresponsible considering all the vampires here your pet could kill with a single sneeze?"

Carlisle was about to reply when I shook my head, an argument would do nobody any favors and I could handle Peter better than anyone else. I grabbed him by the shoulder said hi to Charlotte and dragged her mate outside and away from the house where we could talk in private.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Jasper**

Peter rounded on me as soon as I let go of him,

"Why is it you never let me tell it as it is to that ass hole? Anyone would think you don't want to hurt his feelings."

"Peter now is not the time and it's not the place either. You know there's trouble, have you come to help or hinder?"

"Hey, I stayed away cos you asked me to, then I stayed away because Charlotte told me to listen to you. The Major's got it all under control Peter, if he needs us he'll ask for our help Peter. In the meantime butt out, Peter. Well, I did butt out and now I find not only has the shit hit the fan big time but it's Volturi shit and you are up to your neck in Aro's doo-doo. Is that about right? Yeah, course it is. Why you didn't just dump the poisoned human in the first place is beyond me. Fuck me, you want a dangerous pet I'll buy you an alligator or a fucking python, at least you stand a chance against them. This girl looks at you wrong you shrivel up and die and don't tell me I'm talking shit because I got the dirt direct from Darius and by the way, how come I hear my services are finally fucking required from him and not you?"

I stood looking at him, there was no point trying to stop Peter in full flow, the best thing to do was let him have his say and wait till he wound down.

"Finished?"

"For now, yeah."

"Right, in the first place thanks for staying away, you would have frightened the wits out of Bella."

"Me frighten her? I'm her target of choice in case you forgot."

"Secondly, the shit hasn't quite hit the fan yet but it will pretty soon when Aro finds out his informant was speaking the truth and Marcus is trying to depose him."

"Should just set fire to the ferret-faced fucker and be done with it instead of fucking about with armies and gifts."

"And thirdly no one is going to harm Bella, I gave my word she would be safe and I never break my word, you know that."

He groaned theatrically,

"Oh fuck!"

I waited but there was silence,

"So, are you ready to hear what's going on? Or do you have more ranting to do?"

"She was right, fuck me if she wasn't right all along. Charlotte told me there was something between you and the poison girl and she was right. She's your mate isn't she? You wouldn't be going all fucking ape man on me otherwise. You gave her your word? Well, Major, let's just hope we survive to keep it then only just in case it slipped your mind let me jog your memory, it sounds like we have the entire Volturi gunning for us and that includes the likes of the terrible twins and I'm assuming they could drop poison girl without having to get in range to be used as a spittoon?"

By the time we got back to the house Peter had calmed down, was under orders not to upset Carlisle, and to stop calling Bella poison girl. I knew for all his faults he was the only man I wanted at my side in a fight. Introducing him to Bella was going to be a delicate business but that could wait a while. For now, the main thing was to get away and into hiding before Aro came looking with a big net to capture Bella. We were in no position to fight the Volturi alone, even with Bella's weapon, she was far too vulnerable to vampire attack and with the twins as Peter said, Aro had the advantage. In return for his promise of good behaviour, I had promised Peter that if James hadn't been killed by the time this was over he and I would go hunt him down..

Once everything was ready I went up with Rosalie to wake Bella and explain we had to leave at once. I was ready to keep her calm but she merely listened to what was happening and made me promise I would stay by her side for the journey. I explained we had two newcomers to our party and that Peter and Charlotte were my friends and I would vouch for them. This made her nervous but she agreed to meet them as we travelled to our new home. Carlisle had several bolt holes which he had set up many years ago just for such eventualities and we were going to one in the Rockies. Not ideal for Bella but we would make sure she had plenty of comforts picked up along the way.

I decided not to mention that we would shortly be joined by the man who had started all this, the man who was ultimately responsible for Bella's abduction and the death of her parents. It seemed too much for her all in one go especially as we were leaving somewhere she had finally settled down. The trip would take almost a day and we split up into two groups, Carlisle Esme, Edward and Alice in one group, Rosalie and Emmett, along with Bella myself Peter and Charlotte. I decided the best way for Bella to get used to them was to have them around and I knew Charlotte would ensure Peter was on his best behaviour, or at least try to. Bella sat close to me in the back along with Rosalie as she was comfortable with us close while Charlotte and Peter sat up front with Emmett.

Of course, Peter couldn't help turning round to stare at Bella as there had only been time for a quick introduction when she came downstairs, Carlisle was worried and wanted to move as soon as possible,

"So, you're the vampire slayer then?"

She tensed slightly but I squeezed her hand comfortingly and she nodded,

"Yes, that would be me. Jasper tells me you and he are best friends so I won't kill you…..yet."

He narrowed his eyes then realized she was joking with him, a vast improvement on the Bella I had first come into contact with.

"Good because I might just help save your pretty little ass down the road. Besides, who'll remind The Major when it's time to change his pants if I'm not around?."

She smiled and I gave up a silent prayer, Bella seemed to like Peter's abrasive character.

By the time we reached the cabin in the Rockies Esme had it looking homely and a meal cooking for Bella who sniffed appreciatively as she walked inside,

"What is that awful fucking smell?"

She turned to Peter,

"Unless you want to wear it I suggest you stop insulting Esme's cooking and my dinner."

He grinned and winked at her,

"You're a scrawny little thing but you'll do."

And that was Peter's highest accolade, she'd won him over despite her lethal capabilities.

While Bella ate surrounded by the women Carlisle called me through to his study to ask me if I would take Peter and go meet Marcus and bring him back as soon as he got in contact. I agreed, we were the best qualified, Peter could spot a tail a mile off, and I was about to rejoin Bella when Carlisle's cell phone rang.

"Hang on a minute Jasper"

He pulled out two phones checking both before looking up and then shook his head,

"It's not Marcus, I was hoping to hear from him by now, it's Darius, let's hope it's not more trouble."

It was but of a different kind altogether. Darius sounded strangely tense until he explained why he was ringing, then everything became clear. He arranged to join us as soon as he was able and when he disconnected Carlisle shook his head looking shocked.

"Aro murdered both Didyme and Sara? His own sister? I can hardly believe it, Jasper. How could a man stoop to that?"

"He saw Marcus slipping away and knew he needed his particular skills so it was the only way. Why he killed Sara I have no idea but I have a feeling both Darius and Caius will be putting that particular question to Aro soon enough. This could give us an enormous advantage though Carlisle. Caius won't back Aro of he finds out about it and that would put him on our side of any fight."

"You think so? But we have to find a way to tell him and somehow prove it."

"Oh I think Darius will have both well in hand before he gets here, I guarantee it."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **Marcus**

I didn't breathe easy until I was free of Italy and further from Aro's reach, I seemed to have moved just in time as I heard from my source inside the citadel that Aro had the place combed and guards sent to track me down from the place I abandoned the car. My motorbike had come in very useful and I knew being on that would hinder their attempts at tracking me down long enough to make a difference.

The next obstacle was the flight, I had booked tickets under various aliases at airports scattered around the country and unless I was very unlucky they were unlikely to pick the right one first time. That didn't mean I relaxed until we had taken off and were beyond the reach of the Italian authorities. It seemed strange being away from Volterra with no chance of ever returning while Aro still lived. Yet if things went according to my original plan I would return, this time taking Aro's place.

 **Carlisle**

When Darius arrived Jasper made sure to be close to Bella who tended to become stressed when she met anyone new, especially a vampire and as he pointed out Darius was more like him in demeanour and Bella had originally connected him with Diablo so she might do the same again. In all Bella had adjusted wonderfully to being around vampires again and even Peter with his abrasive nature had been accepted although that surprised me.

If anyone should remind Bella of James I would have thought it should be him, he looked dangerous and acted aggressively or was that only towards me? He and Emmett got along famously although both had that certain kind of sense of humour so that wasn't really such a surprise. I had to drum it into everyone that they must take extreme care when close to Bella, it was only too easy to forget what she was capable of when she looked so innocent. A single cough or sneeze could wipe us out but possibly more dangerous was the urge to touch her especially as contact was the one thing she craved more than anything. A single drop of sweat would be as deadly as a flame to any of us.

Darius kept a safe distance and merely acknowledged Bella's presence, he was too angry, too frustrated to make any attempt at civility. When Esme called Bella for dinner, we were using paper plates and plastic cutlery so they could be safely disposed of once used.

I called Jasper in and of course, Peter followed like the proverbial shadow.

"Darius thinks we should contact Caius and tell him what he discovered about the murders, having Caius on our side, or at least not on Aro's would make things much easier all round."

"Sounds like a good idea to me but how do we ensure Caius believes us? He's not going to listen to Darius that's for sure."

Darius nodded at Jaspers observation.

"Yeah I can just see him having a friendly chat with the man he thinks wants to rip his balls off and roast them."

I ignored Peter, it was a survival mechanism to enable me to live alongside him,

"Darius suggests I speak to Caius, he's more likely to listen to me in the first place."

"OK Carlisle but what guarantee do you have that he'll believe you and if he doesn't he'll go straight to Aro. That way Aro is warned of our spying and knows you are involved with Marcus."

"I thought of that Major."

Darius lifted a small voice recorder and hit play, we could hear Aro and Felix discussing Caius and Aro condemning himself from his own mouth. It would be explosive if I could reach Caius and play it to him. I just hoped he wouldn't think it was a forgery, faked by Darius to drive a wedge between him and his brother.

"I think it would be best to wait until Marcus gets here and see what he thinks is the best way to approach Caius without Aro finding out. After all, we don't want Aro getting to Caius before he can decide who he believes."

"How long will that be? We can't sit on our fucking hands for too long, we need to act before Genghis Khan does, don't forget he has all the gifts at his disposal."

"Thank you, Peter, we do understand the urgency but I'm not quite sure what you expect us to do. After all as you so subtly put it Aro has the manpower while we do not. Marcus has a small army at his disposal I understand so we have no choice but to wait for him to join us."

Peter scowled but subsided which was a relief and seemed happier when Darius informed us that Marcus would be at the pickup point by dawn.

"He got away cleanly which means Aro isn't sure whether to believe James. Or wasn't a few hours ago. You and The major need to leave soon in order to be there waiting for him when he appears."

"And who is going to break the news to him that his dear brother is responsible for his wife's murder?"

"I think we'll leave that to me, don't you? After all, I am a little more diplomatic than you Peter."

He snorted at my words although he must know I was speaking the truth, I hated to imagine how Peter would have handled the job, it didn't bear thinking about.

Jasper looked concerned and as our meeting broke up he approached me for a private word although private here meant little, it wasn't as if I had the luxury of my soundproofed study in the mountains. Instead, we left the cabin and ran for twenty minutes before he was willing to speak. When he did I understood the necessity for privacy. Jasper had felt the mating pull and it seemed Bella was responsible.

"I know it's going to be difficult Carlisle but please see if you can discover what made Bella so toxic."

"I understand your urgency and I can tell you that I am still looking but you should understand that even if I find the cause it doesn't mean I can also find a way to cure it. Do you understand the ramifications of that?"

"You mean having a mate I can't even kiss? Yes, I understand but there is nothing I can do about it Carlisle, you're our only hope."

I smiled,

"So, no pressure then? I'll do my best Jasper but we should concentrate on finding out what Aro intends to do and if there is a way of surviving his wrath."

 **Bella**

When Jasper came to say goodbye it was all I could do to let him go. Without him, I felt very alone and vulnerable even though I knew I could kill everyone here easily enough. The problem was that I didn't want to and I was afraid without his calming influence I might lose my temper or worse still launch an attack on a member of his family. He understood my fears and told me he had complete confidence in my self-control which made me feel better.

"Rose and Charlotte will stick close to you and Peter will be with me, after all, he's the most likely to wind you up."

"Actually, I rather like Peter, he doesn't try to hide his nature or his character. I'm more afraid of meeting Marcus if you want the truth, after all, he's done to me. I know you told me that Diablo didn't follow his orders but that doesn't help me much right now. It's his fault I lost my parents and my freedom and was tortured over the years continuously."

When he told me what they had discovered about the death of his wife it made me feel a little less like killing him but it didn't excuse anything as far as I was concerned, true it may have turned him into the person he was, losing his wife, but that was no excuse for not keeping an eye on the devil he had hired to do his dirty work.

"I promise not to attack him on sight but don't ask me to like him, Jasper, because that is not going to happen."

He smiled and pulled me forward to hug me and I felt his lips on my hair as he kissed the top of my head. That made me feel better even when he turned and calling Peter and walked out of sight without a backwards glance. I was relieved about that for if I'd seen his face again I would have begged him not to go, to stay here with me and that would be wrong, he had a job to do and I had to accept it. I think Rose and Charlotte were watching because they came straight over and included me in their conversation, taking my mind off my feeling of emptiness for a while.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

 **Marcus**

I was relieved to see Carlisle had been correct and that he had someone waiting when I left the voice message although I was somewhat surprised to recognise The Major and Captain Whitlock. As we travelled to meet up with the rest of the Cullens The major explained what had happened to the human girl, the ill treatment she was subjected to at the hands of James. So awful in fact she nicknamed him Diablo and his two friends didn't sound any better. The Captain said nothing but then his hatred of the Volturi was hardly a secret.

"How is this girl now? I take it you have found a way to keep her safe? It sounds like she must hate all of our kind most bitterly."

"Yeah well, she's not alone in some of her top ten most hated vampires."

I chose to ignore the Captain, now was hardly the time to aggravate the hostility he felt for me.

"How are you keeping her from harming anyone? I hope Carlisle can find a cure for her, it's tragic the way her life has been destroyed although I do not take full responsibility."

I decided to get that in before the Captain pointed the finger of guilt at me in particular.

"Carlisle tells me that it was not James' attempt to turn her into a vampire that was the cause."

"No, it seems she was already toxic to vampires before that happened, he is trying to discover what caused the problem."

"I see, does he have any idea? Could it have been the gift Paris sensed in her? I had no idea she was so young, James had strict instructions never to touch human children but to wait for them to mature Major, just so we are clear about that."

"Sounds like your attack dog forgot his orders then doesn't it. You should be more careful who you put your trust in, especially when it turns out he's a fucking nut case."

I sat back in my seat deciding silence was [probably best for all our sakes.

 **Jasper**

Peter was giving Marcus a hard time and I could have intervened but the way I felt right now I was only too happy for our passenger to understand just what he had done to Bella setting James on her trail. I believed him when he apologized and that he would not have allowed such treatment if he had knowledge of it but the truth was he used a psychopath as a collector, he didn't check James out properly but then I guess he was short of time and opportunity.

In fact, he'd shown balls thinking up his plan and putting it into operation at all. I wondered what he would think when he heard the truth about his mate's death. Would he believe Carlisle and Darius? They had nothing to gain by a lie, Marcus had already burned his boats with Aro.

As we approached the cabin I slowed, turning to look at my passenger,

"Just a few ground rules for your safety Marcus, stay away from Bella unless I am at her side, otherwise, I will not be responsible for your continued existence. An apology would be good but don't expect to be forgiven and remember you are a guest here."

"Understood although I did not expect her to have free rein of the place, isn't that dangerous?"

"For who? Don't forget she assumed all vampires were sadistic killers. She's learned to trust us but I don't think she's going to feel the same way about you anytime soon."

"No, she's got more fucking sense than to do that. Well, here we are, home sweet home."

Looking at the cabin I could see Esme and Charlotte with Bella while Carlisle stood with Darius, waiting, I guess nervous about the news he had for Marcus. Personally, I didn't give a damn, I was more interested in seeing Bella again and as I parked up then made my way towards her she came running over and Marcus stopped dead in his tracks. She skidded to a halt staring at him but I could feel her emotions, fear, and confusion coloured by anger but she was in control of herself and when I held out my arms she turned her attention to me.

 **Bella**

It had been purgatory waiting for Jasper to come back although the others had been kindness itself, Emmett had even attempted to teach me how to play a computer game but I couldn't concentrate. Still, it was sweet of him to try and I was grateful. I almost felt a part of this strange family unit and wished I'd had my own parents back.

I couldn't sleep although I knew Jasper wouldn't be back until the early hours of the next morning so Esme and Charlotte made popcorn for me and we sat in front of the fire watching a comedy movie. Everything went really well until a; piece of corn went down the wrong way and I knew I was going to cough.

I rushed outside just in time, popcorn spraying all over the ground but none over my new friends and that was all that mattered to me. I don't think I could have coped if I had accidentally killed one of them. I was nervous about going back into the house, I half expected the door to be locked against me but then Esme appeared with a damp towel and a glass of water followed by not only Charlotte but Emmett too and they ushered me back in. The only thing that was said was that it was a good job I had vampire reflexes and speed, how true that was!

I was babbling like an idiot telling Jasper all about it when he pulled me close and then I felt his lips on the top of my head again and nothing seemed to matter at all.

"It sounds like you have had a more eventful time than us but I want to introduce you to Marcus. He's going to be staying here so it would be best if you two at least spoke to each other. I have explained the situation to him and I know he feels genuinely bad about what happened. I told him ignorance doesn't make anything right but that I would guarantee his life. Do you think you could bear to speak to him without spitting in his face?"

I wanted to scream no and run over there just to see his expression as I did just that, spat in his eye but how could I act that way when the family had shown me such kindness and understanding? After all, he was their guest too.

"OK, but just for a minute and stay close."

He nodded, took my hand and led me slowly over to where Marcus stood waiting with Carlisle, Darius had disappeared. The huge vampire bowed low,

"Bella, I am very sorry for the way you were treated and if there is anything I can do to help you now or in the future you have only to ask. I will not ask for your forgiveness, I do not expect that, just that you allow me to stay here and try to put things right as far as I can for my friends and the rest of our world."

What could I say? He looked so sad, so grave and unhappy and I knew that look would only get deeper once he knew the truth about his wife. I couldn't force any words past my constricted throat but I nodded and he seemed content with that, smiling sadly and bowing his head once more as if I were a Queen and he a humble courtier.

As Carlisle took his arm and led him inside Jasper smiled down on me wrapping his arm around my shoulder and squeezing me gently to him,

"I'm proud of you Bella, you have great self-control. Now, let's go inside and you can tell me exactly what happened with the rogue popcorn."

"It's not important, everyone was so nice to me, Emmett tried to teach me a computer game but I'm afraid I wasn't very good at it."

"Wouldn't matter, he cheats anyway."

I turned to see Peter grinning at me,

"If you want to learn from the master you should ask me."

"Peter, you're crap at computer games."

Emmett had come up behind us and Peter tried to look hurt but he just couldn't instead he grinned,

"Yeah? Well, let's see shall we? Ready to put your money where your mouth is big guy? Bella, you can be judge, come on."

I found myself towed along with Jasper behind Peter and Emmett but I didn't care, I was happy, Jasper was back.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

 **Marcus**

There was a strange atmosphere among my friend and the others. He and I joined Darius in a small room packed with computer equipment and we sat at a small desk then Carlisle took a deep breath and told me something that turned my veins to ice. It was so horrific I couldn't believe it but I didn't see what they had to gain by the lies. When I shook my head Darius put a small voice recorder on the desk and hit the play button.

I recognized Aro's voice immediately and then Felix, they were discussing me and then laughed at the fact I had been lied to in order to cover Aro's tracks. He was responsible for my sweet Didyme's death. He had murdered his own sister in order to keep me in Volterra and made it Chelsea's job to keep me loyal, probably Corin to keep me content too. I had never been able to fathom why I could continue to live with my mate dead and gone.

"This isn't a forgery is it? Aro really killed Didyme?"

"I'm afraid so Marcus but that's not all."

"You mean there's more?"

"I'm afraid so. We'd like you to listen to the rest then give us your opinion on what to do about it."

I nodded hardly able to concentrate for what I had just discovered but I wasn't the only one to be duped by Aro, he had done the same to Caius.

We could never quite figure out why Darius was so convinced that Caius was responsible for Sara's death, after all, he hardly knew her. Certainly she had visited Volterra often, she, Athenadora, and Sulpicia, were friends and had been for years but when Sara's ring was found among a pile of ashes we were all shocked. Who could have wanted the pretty vivacious woman dead?

Then the rumors started that Caius had been watching Sara secretly for years, had been sweet on her, and had finally approached her. When she rebuffed him it was said he had struck out, tearing her to pieces in his rage and realizing if Darius found out what he had done he was a dead man he had burned Sara's dismembered body to hide his crime. Yes, Caius had a temper, we had seen it many times over the centuries but rage enough to kill a woman merely for refusing his advances?

I had attempted to pin down the source of the rumor but was never able to. Unfortunately Caius' reputation, his wandering eye and interest in the ladies I couldn't see him doing something so monumentally stupid. He had protested his innocence all along but it did no good. Darius was mad with rage and pain and vowed to kill Caius if he ever set foot outside the citadel.

Now everything became clear, it had been Aro who attacked Sara and killed her then pinned the blame on Caius with a sustained whispering campaign probably helped along by his faithful henchman Felix. The motive? Probably the same as for me, to keep Caius in Volterra.

"What do you think Marcus? Should we tell Caius?"

"No, I don't think he would believe you, he will automatically suspect you made this up to turn him against Aro. However…...he might just listen to me."

 **Carlisle**

We hadn't considered Marcus as the bearer of bad news but he had a point, Caius might just listen to him as Aro had admitted to killing Didyme too. I glanced at Darius whose jaw was clenched in rage, it must be hard for him hearing Aro gloat over the murders yet again but he nodded,

"If you think he'll listen to you by all means. Do you have a way to contact him without Aro knowing about it?"

"I think so. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, Marcus or you would not be here among my family right now."

"Then allow me to make a call. Darius, can you scramble the signal? I don't want anyone tracing us."

Darius nodded and threw Marcus a phone from his pocket,

"No one will trace us using that. I can't guarantee Aro won't eventually hear the call but it will take time and that's something he doesn't have much of although he's not aware of that fact yet."

Marcus called Athenadora, the one person who had stuck by Caius through everything, she had never believed him guilty of Sara's murder and as this was a chance to clear his name she would make sure Marcus spoke to her husband in secret. We waited for him to call back and when he did he sounded suspicious.

"Marcus? What the hell is going on? Aro said you've been plotting against us, is it true? Where are you and what's this about Sara?"

"I want you to listen to a conversation, I can vouch for its authenticity but you can decide for yourself."

"

A conversation about Sara's murder? Very well, but if whoever is on this recording blames me it's a lie."

"Just listen please brother and then I will explain everything. You are alone as I requested?."

"Only Athena is here, whatever it is she has a right to know.

He nodded, Darius hit play once more and we waited for Caius' reaction. When it finished there was silence and I wondered if Caius was gone but then we heard Athenadora,

"That lying murdering bastard, I always said he couldn't be trusted and now here's the proof. He really killed his own sister just to keep poor Marcus a prisoner here in Volterra? That scum, he deserves to rot in hell for such wickedness. What are you going to do Marcus and more to the point what can we do to help?"

Athena had always been the stronger of the two and now it showed, Caius could hardly articulate he was so angry and shocked but eventually he made himself understood.

"Darius, I didn't kill Sara, I always said I was innocent but to hear that Aro not only killed her and lied, putting the blame on me but also killed Didyme who never did anyone any harm…. Athena is right, you want help, you've got it. I'm going to visit, I want to hear that conversation again but not here, it's not safe, and I want to know what you've got planned. One way or another Aro is going down….hard."

It was arranged that Marcus would accompany Darius, Edward and myself to meet with Caius away from the cabin. Not that we didn't trust him but if Aro became suspicious and had him tailed he wouldn't lead them straight to our refuge. It was good to know we had another brother on our side because war was now inevitable. Edward was our insurance policy, he would soon know if Caius still harboured any suspicions or was working with Aro having decided he didn't believe the recording he had heard.

Marcus had wanted Jasper to accompany us but Bella was restive, having him around was taking its toll on her and he decided she needed him more than we did. Therefore, the four of us waited to hear from Athena and then went to meet up with Caius. We had decided it was safer to restrict any contact to her as she was less likely to be suspected of any underhand dealings.

 **Caius**

If I hadn't heard it with my own ears I would never have believed Aro guilty of such crimes, killing his own sister and Sara and blaming the latter on me! As it was I needed to hear the conversation again before I could allow myself to believe completely and I wanted to know what Marcus was up to. Was Aro correct? Was Marcus, in fact, building up a force to overthrow him? If he had wanted to overthrow me too then he would hardly have contacted me with this information, maybe he wanted me on his side. After all, Aro had become egotistical and overbearing recent years, convinced that only he knew the right way to deal with anything, the only way forward for the Volturi, forgetting that it had been built up by the three of us and our wives, not just as a personal power base.

Something else I could hardly believe is why he would place the blame for Sara's death on me. Was I just a convenient patsy? I'd always known he was as big a womaniser as me but he was careful to keep his peccadillo's secret as much as possible. Of course, as I didn't, or at least not as well as him I was an ideal candidate. I had admired Sara, lusted after her even on the odd occasion I had been in her company. I freely admit that but my ego was not so puffed up that I would feel the need to kill a woman who turned me down, I just looked at it as their loss!

Leaving Athenadora to keep an eye on things here, and Aro and Felix in particular, I went to find my dear brother and told him I had to be away for a few days. Of course with a wink and a nudge he assumed I had a woman ready and waiting for me and sent me off with a grin. If only he had known my true reason for leaving Volterra that smile would have vanished in an instant.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty Two**

 **Bella**

With Marcus gone and Jasper here I could finally relax again and enjoy my freedom in the mountains. True, I didn't need blood to exist but I did need some to quench my thirst and begged Jasper to take me hunting with him. After all, if I were to be staying with the Cullens I would need to get used to animal blood and I wanted to be a part of every facet of Jasper's life, including his hunting and dietary habits. He was happy enough but Esme insisted we took company with us and I wasn't sure if it was to ensure we didn't forget about my problem in the heat of the moment or so we wouldn't need to watch out for problems but I didn't mind, especially when it was Emmett who joined us.

He was a good influence on Jasper who could be terribly serious a lot of the time and even though I understood why I loved to see him act like a young man and with Emmett he smiled and joked a lot more. They decided to try for a mountain lion although that sounded particularly dangerous to me, still what did I know? So, I just went along, happy to be outdoors and free of Diablo although I did wonder where he was right now and how close on my trail he really was. I knew that Marcus had instructed him to find me then called him off but now Aro Volturi wanted me and it was Diablo's way out of trouble if he could hand me over to the leader of the Volturi.

Jasper picked up on my mood and smiled encouragingly,

"A penny for your thoughts."

I explained and Emmett moved closer so I had one on each side of me, like knights of old protecting their lady.

"Bella, I promised you that I wouldn't let anyone harm you again and I stand by that. Don't forget you have a family to protect you now. Diablo will never get near you."

"Yeah, see Bella. He's got to get past Jazz and me first and there are others too, remember."

I nodded,

"But then you would be risking your own lives, I've heard what Aro Volturi can do, the gifts he has and you couldn't possibly beat them. Besides, I wouldn't let you die for me, I'm not worth it. I'm just a jinx, a half vampire deadly to all other vampires. I really don't understand why you keep me around. I'm nothing but trouble."

The two of them moved even closer so I could hardly breathe and this time, Emmett spoke first,

"Hey, you're a member of the family Bella and I can tell you we are all misfits, me especially, you fit in just fine. Anyway, what would we do with Jazz if anything happened to you?"

Jasper turned and kissed me on the head again and for the first time, I really wished we could have kissed properly, on the lips. Would I never know the kiss of the man I loved? Could we never be a proper couple like Carlisle and Esme or Rose and Emmett? That was a bleak thought and made me more depressed but I tried to shrug it off, this was supposed to be fun and I was putting a damper on everything.

The guys seemed to understand and no more was said, instead, they began clowning around, Emmett jumping up into trees which groaned under his weight and swinging from one to another overhead Jasper trying to catch him while I looked on giggling. When they became quiet a little while later and rejoined me Jasper whispered that they scented their prey. And when I tested the air I could smell it too, a musky, feline odor like a cat but more pungent.

"Stay behind us and do exactly as we say, don't forget you are still human enough to be injured or killed."

I smiled up mischievously,

"I don't need to worry, I have my two personal bodyguards here with me."

I did as I was told however and hung back but close enough that I could see them stalk their prey. They were like two big cats themselves, sleek and fluid in movement, even Emmett who looked too big to be graceful normally. Out here in his element things were different, they looked dangerous, determined, and for a moment, I could see the real vampire in both. The lion never stood a chance, it was fast and agile but they were faster and even more agile and it soon went down in Emmett's grip snarling and fighting to the very end.

I thought they might share the kill but Jasper kept his distance until Emmett had finished although he offered me a drink at the end which I politely declined. I would rather wait and share Jasper's kill if he made one.

"I doubt we'll find another lion Bella but I'll see what I can find for us. Emmett will be very upset if it's a grizzly, they're his favourite."

I grinned,

"Then let's find one, we can tease him."

Emmett scooped me up and carried me up into a tree leaving me on the top most branch capable of holding my weight. I knew he wouldn't leave me there but I did feel a sense of unease when both disappeared from view but they were back in a minute and I was dropped into Jasper's arms by Emmett enjoying the closeness as I slid down his body to stand once more on the ground.

The second kill was, in fact, an elk, not a bear so I got to taste herbivore blood instead which was like human blood watered down and I wrinkled my nose.

"Next time we get the cat and you have the elk, Emmett."

He grinned at my certainty there would be a next time and I realized I wanted there to be lots of next times, I wanted to be a part of this family, of Jasper's life for always but there were so many serious hurdles to be overcome if that were to be possible.

We started back as the sun slid slowly down behind the summits of the mountains throwing everything into shadow. The guys decided to race each other to a large boulder I could just see in the distance and wanted me to referee. I complained I couldn't see well enough but they were already on their way pushing and shoving each other as they ran. I speeded up to follow peering at the boulder as they got closer and closer to it, my near vampire sight not quite good enough to make things clear and then tripped over a tree root sticking up out of the ground and fell heavily onto my hands and knees. MY ankle hurt and when I sat up and inspected the palms of my hands I could see I had skinned them, blood was welling from several shallow cuts and I cursed, then screamed at the guys to stand back as I saw them approaching fast having seen my mishap.

I could see Jasper wanted to hold me, to reassure himself that I was OK but it was far too dangerous with blood spilt, my blood, toxic blood, a single drop of which would kill him. I ripped some strips from my jacket and bound my hands but I still wouldn't let either of them close, I was terrified and I insisted on following them back to the cabin at a distance almost hysterical when Jasper tried to approach. By the time we got back I had calmed and ran straight upstairs to clean up ensuring every drop of blood was washed from my body by staying under the shower until the hot water ran out. Only then did I get out dry myself put fresh bandages on my scrapes and dress.

When I appeared downstairs Jasper caught me up in his arms and held me tight while I tried to keep my hands well away from his body, paranoid I had missed a speck of deadly liquid. Only when Rose insisted on checking my ankle and I knew the skin hadn't been broken did he sit down with me on his lap. She strapped the ankle which was sprained but thankfully not broken and I stayed where I was falling asleep in my emotional exhaustion, happy in Jasper's embrace.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three**

 **Carlisle**

The meeting went better than any of us had expected, Caius came with an open mind, in fact, Edward said he was almost certain that the recording was real and he was ready to strike a blow at Aro. He insisted on listening to the recording twice more and I could see him, getting more and angry until at last, he waved a hand to signal he was finished. Then he turned to Darius,

"I told you I hadn't killed Sara although I understand why you thought I was lying, I liked what little I saw of her, she had spirit, a warmth about her but I knew you and she were the real deal so I didn't even try. I will tell you that if Aro approached her the way I would have she would have laughed in his face and told him where to go, she would never have betrayed you. It's my guess that's why he killed her, wounded pride and frustration at not getting what he wanted. I am sorry Darius, truly sorry for your loss."

Darius merely nodded an acknowledgement but he understood what it had taken for Caius to say what he had.

Then Caius turned to his brother Marcus,

"So, what's the plan? I know you have one, so does Aro or at least he's almost sure. He sent Afton after you but he was too late, you'd already left. Is the girl just a story?"

Marcus told him about Bella and the way James had treated her for years then explained his plan, collecting an army to fight Aro and overthrow him.

"Unfortunately, I lost some of my men to Bella and others will follow James, after all, they know him, they do not know me, but with Carlisle's help and that of his friends we will still be able to take the fight to Aro. where do you stand now? I can't stop you from telling Aro of our plans but I hope knowing he treated you so badly and murdered my sweet Didyme you will at least keep your peace."

Caius laughed loudly then took Marcus hand in his,

"That bastard Aro ruined both our lives, do you really think I'm going back to him knowing what I do? No brother, your fight is my fight and we will destroy the evil bastard between us."

Actually, I think you might just be able to help us draw Aro out Caius."

He turned to look at Darius,

"Really? OK, go on."

"It would be easier to deal with Aro if we can lure him out of Volterra and while he doesn't trust many people he does trust you. Maybe you can draw him out by telling him that you spoke to Marcus or James and found out where Bella is being hidden. We know how desperate he is to get his hands on her so maybe he will come looking for her, of course, you would….forget to tell him that she is in company with Carlisle and the others."

"Yes, that might well slip my mind in the excitement of finding the girl's location. Of course, he'll want to fetch her personally, provided he can do so safely of course. I'll do my best to keep our party as small as possible but I do have a request to make."

"If it's Aro then no, I have first call on him and I intend to make sure he suffers the agonies of hell before he dies."

"I thought you might and yes you have a better claim on him than I. Actually I was going to request that Felix is left to me, after all, he's had plenty of amusement at my expense, I think it's about time I got some payback."

"Be my guest brother. We are looking for James too, he seems to have gone into hiding. Do you know where?"

"No, but I assume Aro is in communication with him so leave it with me, I'll find out if I can. Do you have plans for the Volturi once Aro is disposed of?"

"Oh yes, I have felt Aro has been bringing the Volturi into disrepute for some years now. It's time wiser heads prevailed, yours and mine perhaps?"

Caius smiled, he liked that idea,

"I think perhaps the girls should be invited to join us, Sulpicia might just be grateful to rid herself of her husband, especially once she hears the things he has done but it would be wise to wait until after he is overthrown before telling her that particular news. She might not be able to control her anger if she found out too soon and that would make things rather more difficult all around."

Marcus was much more relaxed as we made our way back, he had been afraid Caius would come with the guard and possibly Aro himself or that he would refuse to believe the recording and stand by his brother of so many centuries.

"Do you think we can trust him, Marcus?"

Darius was only vocalizing what we were all thinking to some degree or other.

"His thoughts matched his words, Darius, there was no sign of dissemination in them, I think he was genuinely shocked to find out about Sara's murderer and he was certainly ready to rip Aro's head off to think he had been blackened by his brother and labelled a murderer."

Neither Darius nor Marcus were fans of Edward, he had an unfortunate air of arrogance that rubbed people up the wrong way but his gift was always spot on and if he said Caius was being honest then you could believe him.

"Where do we set the meeting up?"

"Why not use the cabin? It's away from any humans, isolated and we know the terrain."

"Because we do not want Aro and his minions anywhere near Bella Edward, don't forget she might be dangerous but she is also vulnerable. Emmett nearly killed her, what do you think an attack from Felix might do? She's our responsibility and we have to protect her."

"Jazz will see to that, he's smitten, I could hear it.."

"Edward, enough. Bella's safety should be the concern of us all after all she's been through."

Edward glared at me, he hated it when I treated him like a child but sometimes he behaved very much like one.

When we got back and explained the situation everyone was ready to stand with us to protect Bella and bring Aro down. I could see the two had grown closer in the short time we had been away, they were certainly meant for each other, I just hoped I could find a way around the seemingly insurmountable problems they faced. Bella's small mishap had only served to underline the problem but at least she had dealt with it in a sensible way, she was growing up fast yet still such a child in some ways.

"I want to fight too Carlisle, it's my fight as much as yours."

"Bella that would not be a good idea for reasons that should become blindingly obvious if you think back to your accident with Emmett. Besides, how can we hope to fight Aro and whoever he brings with him if we are having to watch out for you? Jasper?"

I called on him to back me up and he nodded,

"Bella, there's no way you are getting close to any fighting, you are far too precious to me to risk you getting harmed or killed. I want to know you are safe first."

"But the others will be fighting, Rose, and Esme, Charlotte, even little Alice."

I saw a frown cross Alice's face, she hated being called little although in all fairness she was small and Bella didn't know it upset her.

"We're vampires, we can protect ourselves. You could get killed and the fact your blood will kill your killer won't be much consolation now will it Bella?"

Alice's voice was much harsher than usual and I shot her a warning look which she saw and subsided.

"It may not come to a fight if Caius can persuade Aro to come without half the Volturi guard."

"Oh fuck, and I was looking forward to kicking some Volturi butt."

No one dignified Peter's remark with a reply but Bella smiled at him, why was it the girls always found his obnoxious rudeness to be so endearing?

In the end, it was decided to wait for word from Caius before making any decision but I doubted Jasper would allow his mate anywhere near the fighting if it came to that. I had a word with Esme and Rosalie and although they would have preferred to be in the thick of things with the rest of the family they agreed if it came to a fight they would look after Bella and keep her safe. Esme was over the moon that Jasper had found his mate even when Rosalie pointed out the pitfalls.

"Carlisle will work something out, it's just a matter of time Rose."

I surely wished I had my wife's optimism but at the moment we had gotten nowhere, trying to find out what had caused Bella's problem and without that, there was little chance of finding a cure if indeed one existed.

I was taken back a while, to the first time I had examined Bella's blood under a microscope. It looked fairly normal at first sight but then oddities began to register, it wasn't entirely human but it was certainly not vampire venom either. The cells looked strange, I'd never seen anything like them before and despite exhaustive research, I could still not find anything to match in medical journals or research. I tried introducing venom to blood samples and watched fascinated and horrified as Bella's blood cells simply destroyed the venom with no sign of any changes to the blood at all. What had happened to the girl to cause such abnormalities? If only I could find the answer to that question then just perhaps I could indeed help her as Esme seemed so certain I would.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty Four**

 **Aro**

Caius had the look of a man with news he knew would please me when he appeared in the wives tower. I hadn't been aware he was back but then my eyes and ears were busy elsewhere, still trying to find out where the girl was. James had reported in with the news he had a lead to follow up but Felix thought it was mere desperation to hold onto his safety net. Little did he know if I found her first I would stand by and watch as he fell to his death.

"You look as if you had a fruitful trip brother."

Normally I would have asked who the girl was but with both our wives standing there that would have been extremely unwise. Sulpicia, in particular, was not a forgiving woman, jealousy should have been her middle name.

Instead, I was forced to make small talk until such time as we could reasonably take our leave. The atmosphere had been somewhat strained as Corin was missing her mate but I had no idea when he would return, the fool was still out looking for Marcus although I had little hope he would succeed. Once free of the tower I turned to, my brother,

"So, Caius what news?"

He shook his head looking around and led me quickly along corridors until we here safely in my study when he broke into a broad smile.

"I think you are going to be pleased with my news Aro. I found out where the girl is hiding and while I will not tolerate having her here in Volterra you could keep her outside, possibly in one of the villa's, that should be close enough at hand."

"You found out? How? I thought you were off with one of your women."

"I was but she happened to tell me about something she heard from a source she wasn't prepared to divulge. She had no idea I would be interested but she likes to give me tidbits of news that she hears. Her friend told her about a rumor he heard regarding a woman who could kill a vampire just by touching him. Of course neither believed the story and I didn't take much notice myself until she told me the woman was in hiding from powerful vampires, one of whom she had heard of, a rather cruel and evil tracker called James."

"So, he hasn't found her yet and her story is beginning to filter out, did you find any proof of the story?"

"Actually, yes. I went looking for her friend and found him with a man, a human in a terrible state, dying in agony. He had been a vampire until he met this girl, his words, not mine, who reached out and touched him with a hand she had wiped her lips with. He died shortly after and his bones crumbled to dust. I think it's your girl Aro."

 **Caius**

The story was good, I had my dear brother hooked and his eyes glittered with excitement.

"Where is she? Why didn't you hunt her down?"

"Why? Because she's a killer and me for one intend to go on living Aro. If you want the girl so badly I'll take you to where he said she is hiding out but only on condition you do not bring her into our home, not inside the citadel."

His eyes narrowed then suspiciously,

"If she scares you so much why are you telling me about her? You know I want her for the guard. Is this some kind of trick?"

I scowled, angry that he should suspect me,

"I decided if the girl is so dangerous then we must have control of her if you insist on keeping her alive. Besides I didn't have a gun with me and there was no way I would get physically close to her, I don't have a death wish but if you choose not to believe me then forget I said anything, perhaps I was mistaken and it is not her."

Now he tried to placate me, oiling his way into my good books with praise at my astuteness, oh how I longed to batter that face until the smile was gone but I acted cool waiting for him to take the bait into his mouth and snap those greedy jaws closed.

"She's alone then?"

"I'm not sure, the dying man said there were others close by, it could be the ravings of a sick mind but I doubt she could hide indefinitely alone, not from James if his tracking skills are all they are cracked up to be."

Aro picked up the phone on his desk and asked Felix to join us, I could feel the line begun to jerk, he was on the hook, Aro Volturi was mine! When Felix arrived I was obliged to repeat my story and this time, I was more nervous, Felix, unlike his master, wasn't blinded by greed, would he see my story for the fabrication it was? He asked the same questions Aro had and I replied with exactly the same answers then waited.

"I've had no luck, it's as if she vanished from the face of the earth which could be explained if she had friends. Were they human or vampire? It could be that some humans have discovered our secret and somehow came across the girl, probably hearing the same rumors Caius did, she would be great security for them or…..it could be that another group of vampires has heard and thought she might protect them, from Volturi justice provided they have a way of controlling her."

I shrugged and he continued,

"Maybe they have a gift like Chelsea's to bind her to them or perhaps they can keep her weak and compliant another way. I would say we need to recover her quickly and bring her…"

"Not here."

I interrupted him quickly and he glanced at Aro who smiled condescendingly,

"Caius fears the girl might be dangerous inside the citadel."

"Chelsea can bind her."

"We think, we do not know. This girl is only part vampire. Who knows what she is capable of. No, she goes to one of the villa's or I'll kill the bitch myself."

It was decided we would travel to the United States taking Demetri with us and track her down now we had some idea where to look and Chelsea would also go to work her magic. There was nothing I could say that would not have sounded strange to Aro so the Cullens and Marcus would just have to deal with them, it shouldn't be that difficult with The Major's gift to knock them off their feet. All I needed to do was send Carlisle and Marcus a warning with information on our ETA, then they could be ready waiting for us when we landed and it would be quickly over.

"We need a few of the guard to take out whoever is with the girl and I will be sending Demetri off to track down James afterward, you will accompany him to make sure the problem, is dealt with cleanly Felix."

As soon as I could get away leaving the other two to their scheming I went back to the tower and invited Athena out for an evening stroll in the town square, it was the only place we could be reasonably sure not to be overheard. I explained what Aro had planned and she promised to get word to Marcus as soon as possible, she would also confirm our travel details to ensure they would be ready with a welcoming committee for us.

"Be careful Caius, Aro is most dangerous when he's cornered and I don't want to lose you even if you are the worst kind of womanizer. I find I still love you husband."

Although I would never articulate the sentiment I loved her even more for her love and faith in me and vowed to be a better man where she was concerned in the future, I didn't deserve her love but I was grateful for it.

I knew Aro would be eager to move on the girl, his greed would allow no delay, little did he know this would be the last journey he would ever make. Sulpicia had told him she felt uneasy about him leaving Volterra and I wondered for a moment if that would make him pause, he held great store by her feelings.

"You shouldn't leave Aro, I feel bad consequences if you do."

He smiled at her comfortingly,

"If I don't the consequences could be disastrous and I promise to take care, my love. Besides, what could possibly happen with Felix and Caius at my side?"

She would have spoken then but he put up a hand to silence her and I saw her frown, even his mate was annoyed by his imperious attitude at times. Athena had told me she thought a large part of Sulpicia's love for Aro was born of fear. Fear of what he might do to her if she tried to leave. Of course, he knew, he had only to touch her to know but it pleased him to act ignorant and pretend she was devoted to him. Aro's gift was the one thing that could have ruined our plan but he rarely touched me, he knew I hated it and he wanted me on side, this was no different, he wanted to know everything I knew about the girl and where she was being held but with Marcus gone I was even more important to Aro than ever and he held back his impatience for fear I might throw my lot in with our brother if he upset me enough.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

 **Jasper**

I knew Bella was preoccupied but I wasn't sure what was the matter. I would catch her watching Rose and Emmett when they were together or Carlisle and Esme, even Alice and Edward, and there would be the strangest look in her eyes, a kind of hunger. I didn't feel confident enough to ask her outright what the problem was, I had been warned many years ago never to ask a question to which you did not already know the answer and decided to follow this wisdom here where I was out of my depth.

Then I saw her go off with Charlotte and I could tell the two of them were in deep conversation. All this made me uneasy, I knew how I felt about Bella and what she was to me but I couldn't be sure she felt the same. I was her anchor in this strange and confusing world she had been set adrift in and she was fond of me but did she love me?

"Looks like you've got trouble Major, the girl cooling off?"

I sighed, trust it to be Peter who noticed my mood first,

"I have no idea what you're talking about Peter, why aren't you busy annoying Edward or Marcus it's what you do best."

"Actually, we've come to a truce while there's a chance of kicking Volturi butt and my favorite thing is annoying the crap outta Doctor Death if you must know, I can really get under his skin."

"And of course, you just love doing that."

"Hey, a guy's gotta have a hobby especially when his best friend is busy making cow eyes at the resident vampire slayer."

I turned to him,

"Maybe she should check her poison still works, volunteering Peter?"

He went off mumbling but I ignored that, he'd be back soon enough, he never got upset for long and I had more important things on my mind. I'd really thought Bella and I had been doing great although it was frustrating that I couldn't even kiss her but now she looked so tense. Maybe I was expecting too much, she still had Aro and James after her and no idea what the future might hold, all she had were memories and us, a vampire family made up of misfits.

It wasn't much to offer a beautiful young woman who would probably be safer in the human world once we got rid of her problems. She could have an almost normal human life, hiding her vampire traits which did not include drinking blood to survive, she could find a guy she could kiss in safety, have a sexual relationship with and get married, even have children, why on earth would she settle for someone like me?

When they came back Bella looked happier, in fact, she ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck and for one awful second I thought she might try to kiss me but instead she lay her head on my shoulder and whispered,

"I missed you" into my ear. Even that had to be done from a distance so the moisture from her breath didn't touch my skin.

I held her tight,

"You weren't even out of sight."

"True and I don't want to be out of sight of you. Jasper could we take a walk I need to talk to you."

If not for her first words I would have feared she was going to tell me she wanted some space between us but I agreed and hand in hand we walked away from the cabin watched by a grinning Charlotte who obviously knew more than I did about the coming conversation.

We walked further than I expected and I wondered if Bella were psyching herself up for something. When she finally decided to stop we were more than a mile from the cabin and even here she looked around as if afraid we might be overheard. Taking a deep breath and blushing crimson she began,

"Jasper, I need to ask you something. I know you have feelings for me and I know how I feel about you so I don't think it's wrong to ask this of you. It's a favour really, something I really want to do. Something I have to do because I don't know what's going to happen when we, when you, clash with Aro and his men. No one can tell me for sure that everyone will make it, that no one will die or that I might not yet be snatched away so…...Jasper, I have no one in this world, everyone I loved is dead except…..except you and I don't want to die without having someone who means something to me, I want to be loved by someone, to belong."

I could see what Bella was driving at, she wanted to belong to me and I couldn't think of anyone else I wanted to be with but I had never expected her to feel so much for me. I clutched her shaking hands,

"You are important to me, to all of us, and especially me Bella but there is no need to worry, nothing is going to happen to you."

She shook her head pulling free and I could see why tears were trickling down her cheeks. I stretched out my hand to draw her near but she shook her head in panic,

"Don't, don't touch me please, Jasper, I couldn't bear it if I killed you. I want to be yours forever, to belong to you body and soul but…"

Of course, we couldn't belong to each other bodily, that would be certain death for me no matter how much I wanted it but…

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and I made a mental note not to touch it then sank to one knee.

"Bella, I love you and I think you feel the same way about me so would you marry me?"

Her eyes opened wide, still full of unshed tears,

"You would marry me? Even though we can never be true mates?"

"I want to marry you yes, and never is a very long time to a vampire, we have to trust Carlisle to come up with a solution to our problem. For now, being your husband is enough."

Of course, it wasn't, I ached for her, I wanted her so badly I could taste it but I understood that was impossible. What was I to do? Run away from my mate because I couldn't bed her? Or stay at her side and pray Carlisle found a way around her poisoned bodily fluids? I had great faith in Carlisle but this was a difficult problem even for someone as clever as him.

She said yes and I could see how happy the idea of becoming my wife made her. Of course, when we broke the news to the others the reactions were mixed. Rose, Charlotte, Emmett, and Esme were delighted, hugging us both in their joy. Edward and Alice were more skeptical but didn't say anything against it while Darius and Marcus both decided it was none of their business and made no comment at all, which just left Carlisle and, of course, Peter.

"I'm happy for you both but you do understand that I may never find a cure for Bella's condition, you might never be able to consummate your marriage."

We both nodded,

"Yes, we realize that Carlisle but we also know you'll never give up."

Peter who had stood silent scowling then burst out,

"What's the matter with the rest of you? Have you left your fucking brains on standby? You're happy that The Major is going to marry someone who only has to cough, sneeze, or fart, to kill him? Have some sense, if you feel that strongly then it might be best if Bella finds another place to live, well away from you until your head clears. How are you going to have a mate you can't kiss let alone have sex with? You'll be a mental train wreck in a week. No offence Bella, there's nothing wrong with you as a person, it's your untouchable status that concerns me."

"Hey, this is our choice Peter so back off. I love Bella and she loves me. If you can't cope with it then leave."

There was a deathly silence as he stared at me eyes flashing dangerously.

"Fuck it, you are one stupid, stubborn motherfucker."

Then he shrugged,

"It's your funeral Major, quite possibly literally but who am I to get in the way of true love."

He still wasn't happy but there was also no way he would walk out on me when danger was looming and I would settle for that…. for now.

Carlisle cleared his throat,

"Well, now that's sorted out I guess we should prepare for this wedding. I'm sure we can leave the preparations to the womenfolk while we continue to work out how we are going to beat Aro if it comes to a fight."

He went out with the other guys trailing after him leaving the girls with us. They immediately went into a huddle drawing Bella away from me but before I left I heard her answer to Esme's question,

"What's your surname, Bella? We'll need to know to make everything legal."

"I don't remember, besides it doesn't matter, my family is all dead. It will be good to belong again, to have a name again."

I nodded, it just made me feel this was all the more right for her, giving her an identity once more, this time as my wife.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty Six**

 **Jasper**

Darius turned with an unusual look of satisfaction on his face,

"I think I may have found something to help you with Bella's problem Carlisle. It took a lot of digging, hospital records aren't kept more than a couple of years after a patient is presumed dead but these were tucked away in an old file that has been overlooked."

"Bella's parent's medical records? I assume you found something interesting in them?"

"Actually Bella's records. I'm assuming she was too young to remember but she was extremely ill when she was a small child, Leukaemia."

"Cancer of the blood? I'm amazed she's still here, the survival rate isn't good, even in children. Go on."

We listened as Darius read out the important facts, Bella was diagnosed with Leukaemia. when she was just two years old and spent a lot of time in the hospital as a result.

"She had high dose chemo, radiation, and stem cell therapy. It was an aggressive form of cancer and they didn't expect her to live. I'm guessing that might have something to do with her problems."

Carlisle nodded pensively,

"Yes, it might well. Can you get me details of the treatments she received? I need to know exactly what drugs they used and the dosage of radiation plus the timetable of treatment."

"Leave it with me."

"How long to find this out? The quicker the better. Any hope we can give Bella would be great."

"I'll be as quick as I can."

Leaving Darius to get on with it and feeling more optimistic than I had we followed Marcus and Carlisle out into the sunlight.

"I don't think we should say anything to Bella just yet Jasper after all this may be of no help at all and I would hate to get the poor girl's hopes up only to be forced to dash them again later."

I agreed and swore Peter to secrecy, he being the only one likely to bring the subject up with Bella apart from me.

"Listen, I may be brain dead but I am not that fucking insensitive Major."

"Do you have time to do any research, Carlisle?"

"I'll try son, I know how important it is to you both, it means telling Rose but I'll ask her not to say anything and I know she will understand. Of course, we have to survive the coming fight first."

"Talking about the fight Alice and I have been talking, you know she can't see the outcome, she hasn't seen anything with regard to the family since Bella arrived."

"That's not her fault Edward."

I knew I sounded defensive but I knew neither of my siblings liked Bella that much. He raised his hands in a gesture of defence,

"Let me finish Jazz. We were discussing why I can't hear Bella's thoughts and Alice can't see her future or that of others connected with her, you know we mentioned that she might be shielding herself?"

Carlisle stepped in to defuse the tension

"Yes son, we remember, go on."

"Well, we wondered if her shield might be the gift Paris felt, the thing that led James to her. If so, maybe she can use it help us win, after all if Aro brings the twins, and Caius more or less warned that he would, we'll be at a serious disadvantage. They don't need to get close enough to become a target for Bella."

For once I was interested in Edward's idea, it was a sound enough theory but how did we test it out?

"I think we should leave it to Jasper to work with Bella on that, if she can defend herself it would make things easier but he doesn't have much time to help her."

Peter cut in then,

"I'll help, she can try it out on me, I've ridden her hard since I arrived so I guess it's only right she should get her own back if she can."

Carlisle eyed Peter suspiciously but in the end, he agreed if I was happy with the idea and I knew for all his faults he would work hard to help her make use of a shield if she had one.

It turned out to be easier than expected getting Bella to utilize her shield once we explained it would be a great help if she could at least protect herself. When Peter started throwing a ball at her she soon learned to deflect it away, squealing in delight at her success. We daren't use anything more dangerous, she was still delicate after her encounter with Emmett and newly healed bones were still fragile in places. Then we encouraged her to stretch her shield to protect her from greater distances and she made it look easy. Shouting encouragement Peter threw the tennis ball at me vampire speed but it never reached me veering away at an angle.

"Did you do that?"

Bella laughed delightedly in response to Peter's question and he began moving further away, throwing the ball at a greater velocity and from different heights and angles. Bella deflected them all and then began sending the ball back surprising Peter and knocking him off the branch he was perched on, to her great pleasure.

Once we knew her shield worked so well we brought the others in on the secret and within hours Bella was protecting everyone within a hundred foot radius,

"Now that is what I call a gift Bella. We don't need to worry about the evil twins, we have you to negate their creepy influence."

Once Bella had heard what Alex and Jane were capable of she had worked even harder but it did take it's toll on her and by the time I called a halt she was exhausted but very happy.

I sat with her while she struggled to stay awake to eat the meal Esme had prepared for her and she told me that the girls had agreed to arrange our wedding for two days time, just one day before Aro and Caius were due to arrive.

"Emmett says he'll marry us and Carlisle is going to give me away…...you are still sure about this aren't you?"

I hadn't realized my silence would be taken for negativity, I had in fact been thinking how sad it was she didn't have her own father here to walk her to me or her mother to shed tears of joy seeing her daughter as the radiant bride and I was forced to explain but hearing my thoughts she relaxed.

"I really wish this was going to be a proper wedding."

"I understand, every girl wants the real thing, long white dress, flowers and a church, maybe….."

She was looking at me and rolling her eyes,

"I don't care about the place or what I wear, I was thinking of the honeymoon silly."

She looked adorable when she blushed and I wondered if I would miss it if Carlisle could cure her problem and turn her into a full vampire, he'd already pointed out that only one person could change a vampire back to a human and it certainly wasn't him.

"Our time will come darlin' we just have to be patient."

She sighed heavily,

"I thought once I was free of Diablo I wouldn't have to wait for things any more, I guess I was wrong, By the way has Darius tracked Diablo down for me yet?"

"For you? Peter and I thought we would take care of that particular problem."

"Oh no, Diablo is mine. I want him to suffer for what he's done. For all those poor humans he tortured, I want that bastard to burn in hell and I have just the thing to ensure he does."

She spat on the ground to the side of us as if to emphasise what she meant and at that point the vampire in her shone through crystal clear.

When Carlisle and Rose asked to speak to us the next evening, the evening before our wedding Bella panicked, thinking something was going to stop the ceremony but Rose told her they had news, hopefully, good news.

"Darius found out you had been very sick as a child Bella, you had cancer and were treated with radiation and chemotherapy. We believe that may be the cause of the problem, it mutated your cells, altered the chemistry and turned your bodily fluids into a compound that affects vampire cells."

"Cancer? Why don't I remember any of this?"

"You were only two and you probably hid the memories away as too awful."

"Can you help me? Can you reverse the changes?"

"We're not sure Bella but we will try. Once the wedding and the fighting are over we will certainly try."

Bella was full of the news and eventually I had to help her get to sleep at Esme's insistence.

"Bella, I won't have you walking down the aisle with puffy eyes and rings around them like a raccoon."

Once she was asleep I helped the others get everything ready, we may not have much in the way of resources up here with the exception of nature but they were determined to make the day spectacular for my wife to be. Emmett and Peter were building an arbour for the ceremony while Alice and Esme were busy collecting flowers and greenery for decoration. Rose and Carlisle had fashioned lamps from candles and old jars found in the outhouse and Charlotte was frantically putting the finishing touches to the bride's dress. All I had to do was to turn up it seemed although Edward roped me in to listen to the music he had written for the occasion, to be played by himself on a virtual keyboard supplied by Darius.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

 **Bella**

When I woke Rosalie was standing over me smiling and holding a breakfast tray.

"Come on sleepyhead, you haven't forgotten what today is have you?"

I almost leapt out of bed at her words, today was my wedding day, I would be Jasper's wife by nightfall. I would finally belong somewhere, be precious to someone. I was too excited to eat but Rose insisted.

"I have my orders, no food, no wedding."

Managing to force a few mouthfuls of toast and a beaker of fresh animal blood, "care of Emmett", I showered and came back into my bedroom to find it full of people. Esme, Charlotte, Rosalie and even Alice stood waiting for me complete with the dress in a black bag still zipped up.

Before I had time to think let alone speak they descended on me with hair dryer and brushes, grooming me until my chestnut hair gleamed and then threaded flowers on silver wires into it until it looked as if I had been standing under a shower of wild blooms.

Alice took over then which made me a little nervous, she and I had never had much to do with each other but she was friendly enough chattering about the weather, it was sunny, and Jasper, he was nervous as she applied makeup carefully to my face using brushes so as not to touch my mouth or eyes with her skin. Looking at myself in the mirror when she was finished I didn't recognise my reflection. Standing there was a beautiful woman, not the young girl who usually peered back at me and I had to smile.

"Right well, we need something old, here, Bella."

Esme unclipped the gold chain she wore around her neck and fastened it around my own.

"It's not only old but borrowed too. I'll have it back later. Rosalie…"

My best friend handed me a garter, white with blue ribbon threaded through it.

"That's blue covered."

Charlotte lifted up the garment bag,

"And I have the new part covered, are you ready Bella?"

I nodded though in truth I was terrified, the wedding was becoming more real with every second, every word and suddenly I was a little girl again and looking for reassurance, if only my mom were here. Esme seemed to understand and came to put her arm around me.

"I hope you like the dress, poor Charlotte only finished it about an hour ago. We were beginning to worry it wouldn't be ready in time."

I nodded unable to speak for the lump in my throat and she continued,

"We were going to wait until the ceremony to give you this but I think perhaps it will help you right now."

Esme handed me a long brown envelope which I tore open with shaking fingers. Inside was an official looking paper which I read quickly. It was a certificate giving me a name, something I had lost when a child, Isabella Cullen. I looked up at her eyes full of tears yet again.

"No crying or you'll be going to your wedding looking like a panda Bella. You are officially one of the family, a daughter to Carlisle and myself. I know it won't mean much for long but….."

"Thank you, Esme"

I hugged her careful not to spoil my hair or make-up and then took a deep breath,

"Right well I guess I'd better finished getting dressed."

The dress was beautiful, a pale cream sheath with pearl flowers sewn on it and a long veil with the same pearl flowers.

"Did you hand sew all these?"

Charlotte nodded,

"It was a close thing but Alice kept me at it, cracking the whip. Do you like it?"

I couldn't speak for emotion but I was so happy, I belonged, I had a family, a new mom who looked at me so proudly as I slipped into the dress which fitted like a glove. I was still a bit skinny after being in bed so long but in this dress, I looked like a model and felt a million dollars.

There was a quiet tap on the door and I heard Carlisle's voice.

"Can I come in?"

He joined us admiring my dress and telling me how pretty I looked and I thanked him for making me a part of the family.

"As Jasper's mate you were already a part of the Cullen family Bella, we just made it official. Well, are we about ready? I don't want to rush anyone but Jasper is pacing around like a cat on a hot tin roof so…"

We watched as the girls left and then he held out his arm and I took it, picking up the hem of my dress aware I might go downstairs face first taking Carlisle with me if not. Outside in the early morning sun stood everyone waiting and I hesitated then my eyes locked on Jasper's smile and I started to walk towards my future.

I don't remember much about the ceremony, it was short but no less romantic for that and I felt a different person when Emmett pronounced us man and wife. That should have been followed by an invitation to kiss the bride but that was impossible, instead he kissed the top of my head and picked me up carrying me around and introducing me to everyone as Mrs. Bella Whitlock.

I had heard the music in the background but hadn't paid it much heed but as Jasper whisked me around the open space in front of the cabin I noticed Edward sitting at a keyboard and understood he had been playing it for us. I think I danced with everyone except Marcus before begging to sit down and catch my breath. My life had changed so completely, I belonged, I had people who cared about me and my feelings, one who loved me, my own husband. My dreams, those I had no idea I possessed had finally come true.

I didn't notice the absence of chatter at first, I was busy enjoying the feel of my husband's arms around me though I wished for so much more and I'm sure he did too. Then it registered and looking around I saw everyone else crowded around Carlisle and Darius. Jasper stood up and pulled me over to join them only to hear that Aro and his guards had already left Volterra, Caius had only just managed to get a warning to us now and they would be here in a matter of hours.

"I'm so sorry Bella, I wanted time alone with you but it looks like we're going to have visitors sooner than we anticipated."

Carlisle touched his arm,

"We don't need you for a while, Jasper. Take Bella for a walk, it's about all I can offer you I'm afraid but you can tell her the news, it might help assuage her disappointment."

I was curious, what news? And as soon as we were out of sight of the others I asked him unable to wait any longer. He refused to speak until we reached a small glade, our favourite spot to be alone and then he pulled me down on the grass beside him and told me what Carlisle and Rosalie had discovered.

"There might be a way to make you a vampire Bella, to reverse the effect on your body of the chemicals and radiation but it's not going to be pleasant. It's your choice of course but Rose and Carlisle have done as much research as they could in the time available. They think they might have found a way using the drugs that you were subjected to when you were a child but in higher concentrations."

"You mean I could be normal? That you and I could kiss? Could be a real couple?"

I was so happy I could have cried but that would mean keeping my distance from my husband and there was no way I was going to do that, not on my wedding day so I hugged him tightly instead, feeling his cheek against my hand as he kissed it, the most we could do, at least for now.

"Do you think Carlisle and Rosalie will be able to do it? To make me normal? Will we ever be able to do more than hug?"

"Yes, I'm sure they will but for now having you in my arms is enough."

That was so obviously not true if the bulge in his crotch was anything to go by but I didn't say anything. Whatever I said wouldn't help matters but it was good to know he wanted me as much as I wanted him. We lay together in the sunlight which broke in dazzling lights on his skin while mine glowed like moonlight, not one thing or the other. It was peaceful here and I lay my head on his chest enjoying the sensation as he stroked and kissed my hair dropping the silver wired flowers to the ground around us as he did so. If only all my life could have been as pleasurable as this moment!


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

 **Darius**

We had been lucky to get any warning at all under the circumstances. Caius told me that Aro had suddenly decided he couldn't wait and ordered the Volturi jet fuelled and a flight plan filed. It cut short The Major's wedding but as things stood there wouldn't be much happening after the ceremony in any case. I hadn't liked breaking things up but we had preparations to make, no one totally trusted Caius, he could still stand by Aro if he decided we had lied after all and faked the recording although Marcus was confident he would prove a loyal ally.

We must look as if taken by surprise while still having some defences, mostly though we were relying on Bella's shield hoping that Alex and Jane's gifts had no more power than Peter's tennis balls to break through or we were all likely to end up dead. Marcus would meet Aro head on after all Caius hadn't told Aro that Carlisle and his family were involved, that would be our first surprise for the leader of the Volturi.

Bella and The Major got back about an hour before our "guests" were due to arrive and despite their problems they seemed content enough. I'm not sure I could have been quite so cool, and calm knowing I couldn't make love to my new wife but then agonizing death was a good passion killer.

We decided that Bella should be visible to Aro as he arrived, standing with Marcus although The Major, Peter, and myself would be close at hand but hidden from view and downwind. Not that we would stay hidden for long, we just wanted to give Aro the opportunity to walk into our trap. Alice and Edward had been watching out and gave us the signal that the Volturi were approaching.

 **Bella**

I knew Jasper was concerned about my safety but now I had all the confidence in the world. I was The Major's wife and I could protect myself and my family and friends from any harm. I was even prepared to protect Marcus although he and I hadn't spoken to each other since that first meeting when he had apologized. I guess I still blamed him for what had happened to me although I believed him when he told me that it had never been his plan that I should be snatched as a child, ill-treated and my parents murdered. It was just hard to forgive someone I had hated so much for so long.

As the others melted away leaving us standing together Marcus turned to me.

"Aro won't hurt you, Bella, he wants you too much. Just protect yourself and those you love as I should have protected the woman I loved. If I die today I will hopefully join her and I hope she can forgive me for all the years I sat beside her murderer, her own brother."

"You didn't know Marcus. If you had you would have avenged her murder but I won't let you die either. The Cullens are my family now and you mean a lot to Carlisle."

He inclined his head then looked up and I saw several black cloaked figures approach. I recognised Caius and Aro from the description Jasper had given me. The two blond teenagers must be the twins, the ones with the powerful gifts and the huge man standing at Aro's other side was obviously Felix. Behind Aro, with a hand on his shoulder was his own personal shield Renata and I wondered if I could work my shield between the two of them. I would certainly try when the time was right.

The newcomers came to a halt about fifty feet away, Aro staring angrily at his one-time friend, who stood beside me, for a second before turning his attention to me, a false smile on his lips.

"Bella, I've been looking forward to meeting you but I'm surprised to see you with Marcus. I would have thought you might have killed him by now, after all, isn't he responsible for your parent's untimely deaths and your incarceration? James tells me you were not well treated. Shame on you Marcus, ill-treating such a charming creature. We have come to take you back with us Bella. You will be well treated, given everything you could desire in exchange for a little work for us from time to time."

I shook my head,

"No thanks, I just got free of one prison, why should I walk willingly into yet another? Besides, I don't like what I've heard about you Aro Volturi."

He scowled but it was gone an instant later and he gestured to the guards behind him and the twins standing by his side.

"I fear you must reconsider Bella or I will be forced to take you against your will and yes I know about your powers, I know you can kill a vampire with a single drop of your blood but my friends here do not need to get close to you in order to work their particular magic."

I looked at the two both staring back at me contempt on their faces, they really thought they were something special. Well, maybe they had been but not now, not against me.

"You seem very sure of yourself Aro, some might call that arrogance."

"Are you calling me arrogant Bella?"

"No, I merely call you stupid, if you think you can frighten me with those children."

Jane hissed angrily but Aro held up a hand,

"You are outnumbered and as they say, outgunned Bella, you too brother. Are you allowing a mere child to talk for you these days?"

Marcus stepped forward,

"I need no one to speak for me Aro, especially when I call you a murderer."

"Murderer? What is this?"

"I know Aro, I know your dirty secret, The murders you blamed on others."

Aro went rigid, shock opening his eyes wider.

"What? I have no idea what you are talking about. Who has been telling you such lies?"

"Actually, it was you, yourself."

Aro looked startled then gestured at Jane who turned her attention to the tall ex Volturi leader standing relaxed but nothing happened as I stretched out my shield to cover him. Marcus continued,

"Perhaps you should start talking Aro, something you are so good at, explain exactly what you did to all those who don't already know. After all, we've stood by you for centuries, loyal, at your side helping you and you pay us for that loyalty by stabbing us in the back. Maybe you can explain why."

Marcus sounded ready to attack and Aro made another gesture, this time to Alex. I'd been warned I couldn't see his gift, that it was far more insidious than his sister's but I could, it was like grey smoky tendrils feeling their way towards us.

Deciding now might be the time to step forward I did so smiling,

"Well, your gifts won't work on anyone here Aro so what options are left to you?"

He looked at me warily, weighing up his options, wondering if Renata's shield be enough to keep him safe if I decided to attack?

Marcus waited a short while then nodded at me,

"It would appear he has none he likes the sound of Bella, so dear brother, what next? Another murder? Who will you blame this time I wonder? Alex? Jane? Caius? Oh no, I forgot, you already used him to cover your murder of Sara."

 **Marcus**

Aro looked uncomfortable as Jane and Alex exchanged uneasy glances, it was crystal clear they had no idea what their beloved leader had done. Caius stepped from Aro's side and walked over to stand beside me instead.

"You really thought we would never find out didn't you Aro? That you killed Didyme and Sara to keep us at your side. Well, the truth has a way of making itself known, so what do you have to say now?"

I wondered if our brother would deny responsibility, would tell Caius he was mistaken, perhaps even try to pass the blame elsewhere? He glanced around smiling,

"You make serious accusations brothers, I assume you have the evidence to back them up?"

"We do indeed."

At that cue, Darius switched on the voice recorder and Aro's conversation with Felix rang out loud and clear for everyone to hear.

As his voice faded away he lifted his hands and shrugged,

"It seems I have been found out, and from my own mouth, although it took far longer than I anticipated. You Marcus were far too valuable to lose. My stupid sister wanted to take you away so what was I to do? She didn't suffer Marcus, I made sure it was quick."

I wanted to rip his black heart out and burn it before him but I was not the only victim here and he continued to speak looking at Caius as if he too were a fool.

"As for Sara, well it was so easy. The bitch told me to go to hell and no one refuses me so I killed her. Blaming you was actually Felix' idea, you had a reputation as a womaniser and everyone found it so easy to believe your guilt. Except of course Athena, but who was going to listen to a woman trying to deny her husband could murder a woman who refused to sleep with him? A man with your reputation, it was so easy, so very, very, easy."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

 **Jasper**

I saw Aro motion to his guard to attack, he had no idea how many Bella could shield but I think he felt it couldn't be many or for long, not going by the strain it put on Renata just keeping him safe. Bella knew that there would be a fight, the Volturi who stood with Aro must be eliminated if we were ever to be safe and she withdrew her shield to trap Jane and Alex, preventing them from using their gifts against us. As she nodded to me I signalled our own fighters, Marcus had managed to pull together a few of those James had trained for him who were able to join us in time, and we converged on our enemies.

Marcus and Caius would be responsible for Felix and Aro, they had scores to settle while we fought those who decided to back their leader despite what they had heard. It wasn't an easy fight, the Volturi guard were well trained and disciplined and I saw from the corner of my eye Peter go down under the onslaught of three black-cloaked figures but there was nothing I could do, I had my own battle to fight. There were the sounds of fists on vampire flesh, screams, the scent of spilled venom and then the first cloying smell of burning vampire.

I wrenched the head off my last opponent and stood up clutching an arm missing some flesh and looked around me. Only a few skirmishes remained, most of the black cloaked Volturi guards were in heaps of dismembered limbs and decapitated heads which Esme, Charlotte, and Alice were feeding into the flames of a huge bonfire. I checked off those I worried about worried when I could find neither Bella nor Peter and then it reached me, a faint scent of human blood…..Bella was injured!

I raced in the direction the smell was coming from and saw six figures on the ground, four wearing the Volturi uniform although all were screaming and writhing on the ground while the other two sat unmoving a few feet from each other. As I fell to my knees beside Bella I realized with relief that she was alive and from the look of her not badly injured but as I reached out to her she shouted.

"No, don't touch me, Jasper, there's blood everywhere. I tried to help Peter and fell face down, my nose is broken I think."

Looking at her face I could see she was correct, her nose was crooked and there were bruises already developing under both eyes.

"Check Peter. I told him not to come near but he touched my shirt. Did he get any blood on him? I can't get him to answer me."

I turned to look at Peter who lay propped up against a tree, one arm missing and his jaw smashed, that's why he hadn't been able to answer Bella, he was healing but very slowly.

"Peter? You OK?"

He nodded lifting his remaining arm up and I saw a red stain about half an inch from the edge of his cuff, Bella's blood, and it was so close to his flesh. It occurred to me there might be enough to soak through the fabric and I pulled him forward ripping the shirt away relieved when I saw the thickness of the cuff had saved his life, the blood had not soaked through the thick layers of material or he would be like the guards, turning back to a human and ageing agonizingly.

"Is he OK Jasper? Tell me I haven't killed him too."

Leaving Peter for a while I went back intending to sit close to Bella but far enough away there was no chance of any blood touching me but then she screamed again,

"NO! Look at the grass."

Spots of crimson blood spotted the ground, the whole area was a death arena for vampires.

"Two of those guards were knocked over by Peter, they landed on spots of blood, that's all it took Jasper. Please get me some water and a change of clothes then go away until I'm safe."

I didn't want to leave her but I had no choice, if I stayed the chances of me coming into contact with her blood were far too high so with a pang of regret I picked Peter up checking his clothes for more blood and carried him back to the cabin explaining to Esme and Rosalie what the problem was.

I could see Felix being fed to the flames by a jubilant Caius but to my surprise Aro stood apparently not badly harmed being held by some of Marcus' men, what did he have in mind? Once I deposited Peter in the cabin to be ministered to by Charlotte I grabbed a bowl, a bucket of water, soap and towels and shouted for Alice to follow me after grabbing clean clothes for Bella.

"Major? Is Bella OK?"

I nodded in reply to Marcus then shouted out the problem and to my astonishment he smiled ordering his men to follow me.

I left the things at the edge of the area where Bella had fallen and walked back out of sight as Alice passed with the bundle of clothes. Marcus, Aro, and his guards stood waiting for me.

"It's dangerous over there? Is there much blood?"

"Enough, it only takes a drop after all. You have only to look at the guards on the ground."

He did, two of them were now still, papery skin stretched tightly over bones, splitting in places as their hair now grey and thinning rapidly began to fall out.

"They are human now, ageing, soon they'll be dead, mere dust. The other two must have been younger, they won't die but they'll live in agony until their frail human bodies can take no more and fail."

He turned to Aro smiling,

"Let's see just how long your luck holds out."

Caius appeared at that moment and without a word between them they stripped Aro of his cloak, shirt and footwear then threw him in among the dying.

"Who knows, you might get out without touching a drop of Bella's blood."

Aro jumped to his feet looking around wildly although the dark blood wasn't easy to see amongst the fallen leaves and grass.

We watched as he took one cautious step after another headed in the opposite direction from us and becoming more confident the further from the bodies he got. The bastard was going to make it, he had the devil's luck. Caius and Marcus were still staring, tight-jawed as he approached the first of the trees and probable safety but then there was a rustling and Bella appeared in front of him, clean now and dressed in fresh clothes, smiling broadly as she put a finger to her lips licked it with her tongue and jumped forward touching his cheek with the wetted index finger. Aro's luck had finally run out!

We watched impassively as his impending death struck home, he wiped his cheek frantically first with a piece torn from his pants and then with grass he had stooped down and ripped out by its roots but it was no good, her saliva had touched his skin, the process had begun. His death was agonising and slow but we stayed to watch and others joined us to stare at Aro Volturi as he became once more the human he had once been so many centuries ago. He had been good looking and young, the centuries had been hard on him, possible his evil deeds writing themselves on that face, making it harder and older looking.

Then as he writhed and screamed on the ground the process of decay began to eat away at the old flesh, wrinkles appearing, the skin sagging and his long dark hair becoming grey then white before falling out as the skull gleamed through the rents in the paper thin flesh. It took him several hours to die and each must have felt an eternity to the Volturi leader, it certainly did to those watching although no one felt any sadness or pity, he was merely reaping what he had sown down the centuries.

When it was over, when the last of the dust was blown away by the dawn breeze, we split up, Marcus and Caius to return to Volterra with the men James had trained for the former to take their place in a new Volturi guard while we went back to the cabin to discuss what would happen next. Bella had joined me taking my hand and watching without comment but as we walked back to the cabin she whispered,

"I hope his soul has gone to hell to burn for all eternity for what he has done and one day I hope to send Diablo to join him. Is it wrong not to feel any guilt for my actions?"

"No, you did what needed doing Bella and I promise you we will track James down for you but first you need to get that nose fixed, you look terrible."

She touched it gingerly wincing at the pain,

"It was worth it to save Peter, I don't really know why I didn't just send the guards flying with my shield. I guess I wanted to feel I had been really involved in the fight. Next time I think I might stay on the sidelines, I could have killed someone important, someone, I love. I really hope Carlisle can help me, help us. I can't spend my life afraid of what might happen if I cut my finger or coughed. I'm tired Jasper, tired of fighting, tired of feeling isolated, tired of not being able to kiss my husband."

Then she lay her head on my shoulder and we went inside to find Carlisle and get her fixed up.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

 **Darius**

With Marcus and Caius back in Volterra to take over the reins of power vacated by that bastard Aro, I thought my usefulness over. I could finally lay the memory of my darling Sara to rest knowing her murder avenged. It had been satisfying to see her murderer suffer long and hard before his death although it did nothing to ease the pain in my chest. It was a pain I had learned to live with over the centuries, waiting my chance to avenge myself on the man I thought was her killer.

Now I realized that although the pain had gone it had left an empty aching space behind but I wouldn't die, to kill myself would be a betrayal of my love for my mate. No, I would live on and hopefully find other monsters who needed exterminating, Aro Volturi was not the only one. In fact, I had an assignment already, track down the man called James, Bella's own Aro Volturi, Diablo.

He was good, very good and he hid from me longer than anyone before but that was mainly due to the fact that he rarely used computers, travelled needing a ticket, or booked rooms in hotels or motels but I knew he would slip up, I just had to be there ready to pounce when he did.

Bella had taken to sitting with me when The Major was busy watching and I guessed hoping I would find Diablo for her. She rarely spoke about her life in his clutches but I knew enough to pity her and I wanted to help her so badly that when the slip came I could have shouted my exaltation. She came running when I told her I had him and it was decided that The Major, Peter and I would accompany Bella to get her revenge.

James had heard of Aro's disappearance and I assumed he understood it didn't mean anything good for him, especially when Marcus and Caius declared a new ruling council with Athenadora, Sulpicia and Chelsea joining them. We had wondered how Aro's wife would take the news of her husband's death but once she heard the damning recording of him admitting his crimes she condemned him as fiercely as the others. Perhaps deceit was enough to break the mating bond after all.

James had booked into a run-down motel close to the Mexican border and we suspected he might be readying himself to join Maria, the one person who could possibly protect him from those searching for him, Marcus and Bella. On hearing the news Marcus opted to join us, I think he wanted to witness James demise as much for Bella's sake as his own although I knew he felt betrayed by a man he had called kin.

We surrounded the motel as soon as it became dark not wanting any human witnesses to our work and then Marcus, The Major and Bella moved in, Peter and I making sure he didn't get spooked and run. Of course, he hadn't lived as long as he had without knowing when danger was close and he did try to run, straight into Peter's arms which was probably not the best thing he could have done. Peter had become very fond of Bella and by the time the others arrived James was already minus a leg and both hands.

I think James only realized just how much trouble he was really in when he recognised Bella standing at The Majors side. His eyes went wide,

"You! I thought you were dead."

"You mean you hoped I was Diablo. Actually, I found some friends and your master. He wasn't at all happy when he learned what you had done to me."

James turned his attention to Marcus panic making his voice higher than usual,

"Marcus, I don't know what she's been telling you but it's lies."

"Really? And how would you know that if you haven't heard what she said to me?"

He glanced around nervously looking for a way out but there was none, he was surrounded.

"It's obvious she's told you things that put me in a bad light, that's why you're here isn't it? She's dangerous Marcus, you should stay away from her. Do you have any idea what she's capable of? I've seen vampires shrivel and die, I told you about her, I warned you."

"Yes you did but I decided to take as much notice of you as you did of me. Your orders were to collect gifted humans, turn them and train the into a fighting force. What part of that did you not understand? At no time did I tell you to murder a little girl's parents before her very eyes, take her back to your camp and mentally torture her for the next eight years."

James sneered,

"Is that what she said happened? I had no choice but to take her, Paris said her gift was remarkable, what would you have said if I'd let her slip through my fingers? I took the decision to collect her right away. She was never touched by anyone, I fed her, clothed her, gave her everything she needed to survive. Is it my fault if she was around when training and feeding was going on in the camp? Besides she was going to become a vampire herself when she was old enough so it really didn't matter at all."

The Major snarled low in his chest and James took a step backwards but recovered himself.

"She's the monster, she kills vampires without even trying, I warned you."

"Yes, and when I found out what you had been doing and threatened to kill you what did you do? You went running to my brother with your story. You betrayed me in every possible way and now, it's time to pay for your crimes against me and against Bella."

As Bella moved closer to James he flinched and then decided attack was his only form of defense and leapt at Bella hoping to break her neck or rip her head off before she could attack him. However, he wasn't fast enough, Peter and The Major had him by the arms bending them to bring him to his knees before the girl who stepped closer until he could feel her breath on his cheek. He cowered away but with such a tight grip on his arms, he couldn't get away from her.

She whispered low in his ear,

"I watched you butcher my parents, I saw you torture humans and others of your own kind and you loved every minute of it. I wonder if you will enjoy your own torture equally as much. Still, we'll soon see."

She moved even closer and he screamed, a piercing noise that cut through the stillness of the night as she took a pin from her lapel pricked her finger and watched as a single drop of red blood grew then licking most of it off she touched the finger to his lips leaving the faintest smear of crimson there then stood back,

"That should give you a taste of the hell you are headed for Diablo."

We took him further into the woods, out of earshot of any humans and waited. It was almost fifteen minutes before he began to feel the effects of her poison. I think he may even have thought he was going to be immune to it but then he jerked and grabbed his throat before falling to his knees retching, bringing up crimson blood, his last meal probably. He tried to get back to his feet, to run from us but the pain was too great and I watched fascinated as his stone vampire body slowly, by inches, became human once more. There was a ragged heartbeat and the sound of lungs dragging in unfamiliar air.

His death was not like Aro's, perhaps because she poisoned him with blood rather than spit, I don't know and I didn't bother to ask. His skin began to sag as he aged but blood dripped from his mouth as teeth began to loosen and fall almost choking him, his eyes became filmy and I knew he was blind as he scrabbled around feeling for a way out of the horror that had him in its grip.

He began begging us between screams to end his misery, put him out of the agony but no one here was going to show him any pity, not after what he had subjected Bella to. I did wonder of she might take pity on him eventually, after all, it was not easy to listen to the animal sounds that came from his throat but she never showed any sign of weakening even when he began to vomit up blood and internal organs as every part of his body decayed together.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty One**

 **Jasper**

Bella and I went back to join the rest of the family, Marcus returned to Volterra and Peter and Charlotte went home after eliciting a promise from us to visit soon. The atmosphere had lightened considerably now the danger was over and Alice and Edward had gone off to visit the Denali's which meant more room for the rest of us. Carlisle and Rosalie were busy doing more research on Bella's problem and with Esme busy with clients for her design business and Emmett rebuilding the summer house which he had accidentally knocked down while messing around some months ago with Garrett who had been visiting, Bella and I finally found ourselves alone.

She was very quiet and at first, I thought it was exhaustion both mental and physical after all she had seen and experienced over the past few months on top of all she had been through in Diablo's hands but instead of becoming brighter she sunk into a state of depression. I tried to talk to her about it but she would just close her eyes and feign sleep. In the end, I had to force her to talk to me, I couldn't bear not knowing what the problem was any longer.

We lay together on the bed in our room cuddled up listening to the birds singing outside the window.

"Bella, I can't take any more of this, I have to know what's wrong. Is it something I've done? Would you prefer it if I moved out for a while?"

She sat up suddenly her eyes wide with fear and distress,

"No, please don't leave me, Jasper. I'm…..I'm so afraid."

"Afraid of what darlin'?"

I kissed her forehead, the only skin to skin contact she would allow except for holding hands in her fear of killing me.

"Afraid I'm going to lose you. Who wants a wife they can't even kiss let alone make love to? I want you so much and you must be frustrated yet Carlisle and Rosalie just keep telling me to be patient."

Now I understood,

"Bella, I love you with all my heart and I will never ever leave you. We knew this wouldn't be easy but we will get through it. Carlisle and Rose are working hard but they won't do anything until they are sure."

"What if they can never be sure? What if it's always going to be like this? You're a man, you have needs I know that and if I can't supply them then what's to stop you going elsewhere? I don't think I could bear that, to lose you or even share you."

I pulled her close laying my face on her head breathing in the scent of her hair. Of course, I wanted her, God how I did but I knew there was no way we could ever be together sexually unless Carlisle and Rosalie could produce a miracle but I would never betray my wedding vows and I told her so. Then allowing me to help her she relaxed and we started to talk about the future we would have, the home of our own, the garden for her to grow flowers, the paddock for horses, the fieldstone hearth I would build and the winter evenings we would lay on the rag rug in front of the blazing logs making love by firelight.

I stuck really close after that, Bella always went hunting with me and I took her shopping for clothes and things to take her mind off the waiting. We attended concerts, went to the movies, browsed bookstores, visited museums and went for dinner although she hated it that I had to pretend to eat even though I told her I was just happy to be with her. It was hard for Bella to understand that having finally found my mate I could wait for the rest. Yes, I longed for her naked body below mine, to feel myself inside her, to make her mine at last but none of this was her fault and I wouldn't make things any worse by showing my own sexual frustration.

When Carlisle and Rose eventually asked us to join them in Carlisle's laboratory I wasn't sure whether to be elated or scared. Whatever they tried would mean some unpleasantness for Bella, possibly even pain and I hated the thought of her suffering again but she wore a huge smile, she at least was not scared.

"Bella, I'm sorry you have been made to wait so long but it hasn't been easy, we're dealing with an unknown and of course we didn't want to do anything that might harm you further. However, Rose and I have come up with something we think might work, there are no cast iron guarantees in this kind of experimental work but I have high hopes."

"Tell me, Carlisle, what do I need to do? I don't care, I just want to be a real wife to Jasper."

If I had been able to I would have blushed then, all she was interested in was me and my needs as she saw them.

Rose laughed out loud,

"Well then, I guess we'd better not hang around Bella. Let me explain our theory. We are convinced that the cancer treatments you received as a small child are responsible for the changes in your body chemistry. It might be that all cancer patients are lethal to vampires, the two just never come in contact, who knows? Anyway, we theorize that if we can treat you with higher doses of the radiation perhaps we can reverse the changes."

"And what if it makes things even worse? What if I can't even touch Bella afterwards? Don't you have any evidence it might work other than a theory Rose? This is my mate we are talking about, what if the radiation kills her? Had you thought of that?"

I could feel the panic building up inside me, anger too, how dare they use Bella as a lab rat to test out a theory that might be ultimately fatal to her? Bella took my hand again and rubbed it in hers soothing and calming me.

"It's all right Jasper, I trust Carlisle and Rosalie and so do you."

She was right, I did under normal circumstances but these were anything but! Trying to control my emotions I asked calmly,

"When do you plan to start? And what exactly will you be using?"

"We have a copy of Bella's medical records from the time of her cancer treatment and we will be using the same radiation they used but in higher doses, as high as she can stand, we'll be led by her on that and I hope you will be there to aid her too if things become unpleasant."

"You aren't going to use the chemo drugs as well?"

I was glad although I never said so, I'd read about the terrible side effects of chemotherapy and they frightened me greatly.

"You hope I'll be there? Do you really think I'd leave her while you poison her?"

"Jasper, please."

I nodded and closed my mouth, this was hard enough for Bella as it was, she didn't need a hysterical outburst from me to make things worse.

"Do you have the stuff here Carlisle?"

"Yes, we're ready whenever you are Bella but please remember we can stop at any time, you just have to say."

She nodded chewing her lip nervously,

"How long will it take?"

"I'm sorry I can't answer that but we are in uncharted territory, it could take a couple of rounds of treatment, it could take longer."

"Then the sooner we start the better. Can you begin now?"

Carlisle smiled at her indulgently,

"It's a little more complicated than that I'm afraid. I need to take some blood and tissue samples first and then we'll have to decide where exactly to target the radiation, it means staying here in the clinic again. I hope it won't bring back too many awful memories for you."

"No I'm OK with that, so are you ready?"

She rolled up her sleeve baring her arm for the needles and Carlisle gestured for Rosalie to take the samples which were dangerous as always but she was very careful and wore four layers of surgical gloves and a full face shield. Bella looked so small and frail as the blood was sucked up into the vacutainer and a biopsy taken from the same arm but higher up then she was bandaged as much for our protection as hers and we were allowed to leave promising to be back in the morning ready for the treatment to begin.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

 **Bella**

I hardly slept last night, just lay in Jasper's arms praying that the radiation would work and I could be normal again, whether human or vampire I hadn't thought to ask but for now I'd settle for either. I didn't remember my first experience with cancer treatment but I had looked it up on Emmett's computer and what I read frightened me, the side effects were awful. I could lose my hair, feel nauseous all the time, find I was in pain and very tired plus of course there was always the danger I could pick up an infection as the radiation weakened my immune system.

I pushed all these thoughts to the back of my mind, telling myself I could do this, I had to do this, so I could have a life with my husband. A little voice inside whispered, "And if it doesn't work? What then? Can you keep him saddled with you when he should be doing all the things a man needs to do?" I refused to answer it, there would be time to face that if the worst happened, for now, I would think positive. I suppose I should be brave and tell him I wouldn't think badly of him if he needed to find "comfort" elsewhere but that would be a lie. I would hate it and probably him too for doing it so I kept that thought to myself.

By the next evening, positive thinking had flown out of the window and I just wanted to die. I felt sick and I was tired. It seemed I had most of the side effects straight away which was odd according to Carlisle but then everything about me was odd!

While Jasper and Rosalie stayed by me most of the time it was too dangerous when I started vomiting until the old decontamination suits came out once more and then I felt more isolated than ever. Carlisle had told me he set a regimen of radiation therapy every three days instead of every week but I was too weak after the first three sessions for him to chance another so soon and I was given a few days to recover.

Jasper had been a constant at my side although I knew this affected him probably as much, if not more than me. He helped me sleep through the worst of it but then he was awake and worrying.

When we started again Rosalie added anti-nausea medication but it didn't help much, I just felt sick without throwing up. Jasper was becoming agitated, he couldn't stay with me while I had the treatment, they had no idea what radiation might do to a full vampire and no one was going to risk finding out, not even my husband and I told him as much. He hated watching me suffer afterwards but he wouldn't leave me and in the end after he threatened to punch Carlisle if he tried to treat me one more time Emmett was called in to escort him out to cool down. I hated to see my husband like this but I couldn't stop, I was doing this so we could have a future together and I was going to beat it.

My skin became red and burned and my mouth was a mass of ulcers which prevented me from eating anything but I begged Carlisle to keep on. The sickness continued, getting so bad my stomach and ribs hurt from the dry heaves that were all I could manage and sometimes even breathing was an effort so I found myself wearing an oxygen mask. Great, when I decided to throw up, the mask became thick with bile which in itself was like corrosive acid to the plastic as well as being lethal to my nursing staff.

I hadn't realized Peter and Charlotte were back until I recognized her sitting beside my bed when I woke up sore and still exhausted but no longer nauseous. Speaking was difficult both my mouth and throat were sore but she understood and told me that they had come back mainly to help with Jasper who was not at all happy at the state I was in and had threatened Rosalie which caused a fight between himself and Emmett so Carlisle had finally called and asked for their help. I looked to the side and saw a drip snaking into my vein, panicking I asked to see Rosalie or Carlisle and Charlotte assured me they would be back soon.

When they did come in Jasper was with them followed by Peter who looked wary. Charlotte had helped me to sit up when I tried and failed to do it by myself. I couldn't believe how weak I was! Jasper came to sit on the bed his arm, around my now bony shoulder while Carlisle and Rosalie stood.

"I'm sorry Bella but the dosage we are giving you isn't strong enough. There's been no discernible change."

I wanted to cry, I'd been through all that for nothing? But instead, I smiled,

"So, we need to up it again."

I felt Jasper's grip on me tighten and winced but he didn't even notice.

"No, this madness has gone on long enough. Look at Bella, Carlisle, she's like a ghost, there's nothing left. She'll not survive more of the treatment and I forbid you to give her anymore."

I could feel the tension in the room so I blocked out the others and concentrated on my husband, laying my cheek against his.

"Jasper listen to me. I'm tougher than I look, I promise you. I need to do this and I need your support. I can't do it alone my love."

As his grip on me loosened I knew he was listening but his face when he turned to look into my eyes was haunted and I understood he was afraid he would lose me.

"Just one more try. If that doesn't work then it's back to the drawing board. OK?"

I waited, would he give his assent? I really didn't want to go through this without him but if I had to…

"OK, but just one more course of treatment."

"Thank you my love"

I stroked his cheek with a hand I hardly recognised, the flesh was gone, melted away leaving only skin stretched over bone and I shuddered, it reminded me of Diablo and Aro as they died. I would not die. I would live, I had beaten them, I would beat this too.

 **Rosalie**

It had been a fight to keep Jasper out as Bella became weaker, her cheeks hollow and her eyes sunken, like a skeleton with tissue paper stretched over it but we had promised Bella one more course and it was getting towards the end, only one more exposure, the strongest yet. Peter and Emmett had eventually dragged Jasper away as Bella brought up the iced water which was all she had managed to sip for days. Her beautiful hair was almost gone, fallen out a little at a time, day by day, and her gums bled constantly, a danger we had to be conscious of whenever we tried to help her eat or drink. I hated trying to work in these suits and I knew they made Bella feel like she was so alone but they were necessary. I just hoped our tests on her blood after the last round of treatment would show we had been right to put her through all this suffering.

 **Bella**

I almost wished I was dead when I saw my reflection in the mirror Charlotte was holding up for me. She had applied some make-up to me so I didn't look quite so corpse-like and Rosalie had given me a turban hat Alice had bought me to hide the few wisps of hair that were all I had now. Well, I looked awful but not quite as awful, so I nodded and she went to get Jasper. This morning Carlisle and Rosalie would give us the news, tell us if the treatment had worked or not, they were finishing up the last test now.

When Jasper came in I saw the shock on his face, he'd been physically barred from my room for the past three days after trying to unhook me from the drip in the misguided idea that they were treating me with chemo drugs too when I fact it was only to stop me dehydrating and give me some sugars because I couldn't eat anything,

Charlotte told me that Darius and their friend Garrett had turned up after hearing of the situation from Peter. I had to wonder, did it really take four grown vampires to keep my husband under control? I felt quite proud of the fact that it seemingly did!

We cuddled and he kissed my forehead, there were no thick tresses for him to bury his head in now and then sat up like two small children in class. I knew straight away the news was not good, they didn't have to say the words but that didn't stop them. There had been a change but not nearly enough and I wasn't strong enough for any more radiation treatment.

"So that's it? You've put her through all this for what? Nothing Carlisle."

"Not quite Jasper, if you'll allow me to finish, there is another possibility. It's a more long shot, I have been reading about a drug which is being tested at the moment, possibly stronger and more effective than conventional chemotherapy with hopefully fewer side effects. Getting it will not be easy but if I can source some would you be willing to try Bella?"

The argument this time was far more heated but in the end I got my own way. Admittedly it took some tears but Jasper caved in eventually.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty Three**

 **Emmett**

Darius, Peter and myself collared Carlisle as he came in from the clinic after making sure Bella was sleeping, Jasper by her side. We'd heard the uncertainty in his voice when he talked about sourcing this new drug and we wanted to know what the problem was.

"It's a new drug, not yet licensed for use on humans and is being worked on in a secure laboratory. Getting the chemical make up isn't going to be easy. I can't just ask for it."

"Ask? Who the fuck needs to ask? Where is this fucking place? We can soon break in and take whatever you need."

Carlisle was about to object but I agreed with Peter, Bella needed the stuff and if we couldn't get our hands on it legally then we'd do it the hard way.

"I was hoping perhaps you Darius might be able to break into the lab's computer system and "borrow" the formula."

Darius shook his head,

"It'll take too long. Neither Bella nor The Major can stand a long wait, Peter's idea is the best and fastest way."

"Yes, but breaking in…."

"Call it what you like, an uninvited visit, a tour of the facilities after hours, I don't give a fuck, anything that'll make you feel better. Just give us the location."

Carlisle began to shake his head but Rose appeared and handed me a sheet of paper with an address printed on it.

"That's the place. We need a copy of all the research and if possible a sample of the drug. How long will it take you?"

Carlisle looked shocked,

"Rosalie really, I don't condone breaking the law, not even human laws Peter."

"But you aren't breaking them doc, we are. come on lads let's get this show on the road."

The four of us were just getting into my truck when Edward appeared.

"I'm going with you, a mind reader might come in useful."

Peter rolled his eyes, his hatred of the family was now mainly targeted at Carlisle and Edward.

"I thought you were busy cozying up to the ice maidens. Frozen your dick off have they?"

Edward uncharacteristically ignored Peters crude question and slid in the back with Darius and Garrett.

The journey wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, Edward ignored Peter who got bored trying to get a rise out of him and instead started a conversation with Garrett about one of his girlfriends who had taken up with a mutual friend I didn't know. Their conversation was down to earth and pithy but I tuned it out, I just wanted to find this place, get what we came for and get the hell back asap.

The laboratory when we found it on the outskirts of a small town close to the Canadian border was well guarded.

"Anyone would think they've got the fucking declaration of Independence in there instead of some fucking drug."

"Medicines are big business Peter."

"Looks like it. Its lit up like a fucking Christmas tree and are those dogs loose in there? I hate fucking dogs, piss and shit everywhere!"

We studied the routine of the guards then waited our chance and using vampire speed and agility we jumped the fences and sped across the open ground to the building. The lock was electronic but that didn't even slow Darius down. Within seconds we were inside.

"Don't worry about the infra red, we're too cool to show up,"

He went over to the desk and checked out the paperwork laying there then grunted,

"Amateurs. I could break in this system easy. Anyway, third floor folks, room 7B."

When we got there I could hardly believe my eyes, the walls were plastered with photographs of the ugliest looking fish I had ever seen and on one of the cupboards running along the wall was a huge fish tank although it was empty.

"What the fuck? Are you sure this is the right room Darius? It doesn't look much like a medical research lab to me."

"That's because you are still living in the days of herbal remedies you moron."

Now I could have told Edward that was not a smart thing to say but it was too late. How Peter got him inside that aquarium I have no idea but he had a hell of a job extricating himself and he was not pleased.

"Shut up, the pair of you."

Darius was losing patience with their antics and motioned for us to search the desks while he concentrated on a safe in one wall. There was plenty of printed stuff on the desks but I for one had no idea if it was what we wanted or not.

"Take photo's of everything."

I nodded at Garrett's whispered command and pulled out my cell phone, I was beginning to feel like James Bond!

The safe was proving difficult when we heard footsteps, one of the guards was doing his rounds. We hid in the shadows and waited as he checked the door and finding it open, who had forgotten to lock it again behind us? Came in torch and gun at the ready. This was supposed to be a covert mission, no one know we'd been in but Peter decided he was sick of messing around and knocked the guy on the head hopefully just hard enough to knock him out.

"Right, get your hands off your dicks and get moving before his mates come to play."

There was a click as the safe came open and Darius pulled out the papers in there then looked around. He ran over to a scanner and switched it on.

"Watch the door Garrett. I need about five minutes. I'll send copies straight to Carlisle, it'll save time and I won't miss anything important."

 **Carlisle**

I was sitting in my study eyes closed and trying to work out where we had gone wrong. I had been so sure that high doses of the radiation would work….My fax machine began to buzz and then spewed out sheets of paper, one after the other until there was a pile on the floor under the table. Picking the top one up I glanced at it then began to smile, the boys had come through, here were the research notes on the experimental drug in the scientist's own hand. Now we had something to work with. I called for Rose and we went through to the laboratory together reading the papers split between the two of us as we walked.

"You do understand just how dangerous this is Carlisle? Puffer fish venom?"

"Yes but we are running out of options and I think perhaps we should also consider adding large doses of venom to the mix."

Rose stopped dead in her tracks aghast, no more than I expected, it was risky, very risky.

"No Carlisle, that's plain crazy, her body could never withstand all that, not at once."

"Well I think it depends on the strength of the puffer fish venom. The research uses quite small doses but then it's highly toxic to humans so that's understandable but Bella is not entirely human. Her body chemistry was altered subtly by the cancer therapy she had as a child, it seems to be stopping vampire venom from working because it destroys the vampire cells."

"

And you are thinking of knocking out her own cells so the vampire venom has a chance to work and turn her? Jasper is going to throw a fit when he finds out."

"Then perhaps he shouldn't find out….not until it's too late to do anything about it."

Rose didn't like this, she hated subterfuge especially within the family but the way I saw it, we had no choice, Bella had no choice, not if she and Jasper were going to have any kind of life together. Still, we had yet to work out the exact composition of the drug that the researchers were using with such good results and then tailor it to our own particular needs.

 **Emmett**

Having gotten in and found what we wanted we now had to get out again as quietly as possible, hopefully with no one knowing we'd been here in the first place. The guard was laid out on the floor by the smashed aquarium so it looked like he had tripped, grabbed for something to save himself and pulled it over on top of himself, hitting his head in the process and knocking himself out.

Things were going great until we met up with the dogs, four huge black things with enormous canines.

"Remember, no killing."

Darius words carried clearly enough although they were meant in particular for Peter. Luckily the dogs, trained attack dogs and silent understood they were facing something even more dangerous than themselves and stepped back slowly until we lost sight of them in the trees.

"Smooth move Fido, now let's get the fuck out of here before anything else happens."

Following Peter's example we jumped the high razor wire topped fence once more and melted away into the night, mission accomplished.


	44. Chapter 44

_**Chapter Forty Four**_

 _ **Jasper**_

I was torn, I had wanted to go with the guys to find this research facility and get the papers but I couldn't force myself to leave Bella's side. I'd been a real ass hole while she was sick,, the sight of my mate in such evident distress had set my brain on fire, I wanted it to stop and did some stupid things as a result but I was calmer now, much calmer as Bella was peaceful, out of pain and no longer vomiting up everything they tried to feed her. She was so thin, so weak but she still had a smile for me every time she opened her eyes and she still had faith in Carlisle and Rose. In fact, she admonished me when I said anything disparaging about their efforts. I knew who the stronger of the two of us was and to my shame, it was not me.

I was relieved Bella had time to regain some strength, I had hoped that the vampire in her would help with her recovery but it seemed not. At least I mentioned it to Rose.

"Jazz, if Bella had been one hundred percent human the treatments would have killed her. It's only the vampire in her that have allowed us to treat her at all."

"And this new treatment? Is that going to be as bad? I'm not sure I can take any more Rose and I'm sure Bella can't."

"Do you really think that we would do anything that might kill Bella? Jazz, you know better than that, we all love her, she's your wife and neither Carlisle or I would do anything to hurt you or her."

Of course, they wouldn't, I nodded my agreement but there was a dark place in my brain and in it whispered a quiet voice telling me that I could lose her, that they were treating her no better than James had. And no matter how much I tried to banish it, from time to time it would force its way back.

 **Bella**

I knew how badly all this was affecting Jasper, I could feel his anger and hurt, his frustration that he couldn't protect me but we were doing this so I could be with him, at his side forever as a real wife, as his mate. What I hadn't spoken to him about was my fear that if I couldn't become a vampire I would continue to age and eventually die, leaving him alone. I had talked it over with Carlisle but he had no answers for me, all he could say was that he would keep an eye on me and see if the vampire part of me had at least slowed the ageing process.

I felt guilty at asking Jasper to marry me now, knowing it might mean more pain for him. If I died or even if Carlisle and Rosalie couldn't stop this problem with my bodily fluids then Jasper would be alone….and it would all be down to my selfish need to belong, to my inability to love him without being his. I really hated myself for this, especially when the treatment made me depressed and sick but feeling sorry wouldn't do any good now, I needed to get through this, to live and to become a vampire and I would do it, I had to.

Emmett came to give me a blow by blow account of their adventure and for the first time in days, I found myself laughing. I could visualise Edward crammed in the empty but green slimed aquarium and the dogs backing away from the sight of all those vampires. I think Peter was in disgrace though because Charlotte merely made a face when I mentioned his escapade to her and Darius rolled his eyes,

"If Peter could follow orders as well as he fights he would be brilliant, as it is he's a complete fucking pain in the ass."

I was also introduced to Garrett, the newest member of the "Jasper Control Squad." He was tall and handsome with a warm smile but he knew it and flirted shamelessly with me much to Rosalie's disgust.

"He wouldn't be so eager to do that if Jazz were here. Nor if he wanted to keep possession of certain parts of his anatomy."

I found myself giggling again, I was certainly feeling much better.

"Do what?"

I hadn't heard Jasper as he appeared but I was glad he'd missed the first part of the conversation and I held out my hands to him in greeting. It took his mind off what he had heard, the mood he was in right now he might have been tempted to rip Garrett's head off for flirting with his wife!

I was feeling so much better, I'd even walked in the fresh air with the help of Jasper's arm twice now and eaten a whole bowl of freshly cooked broth and kept it down although my stomach was still very sensitive and my mouth still sore. When we came back inside so I could rest Carlisle was waiting for us and I could see from the gleam in his eye that he and Rose were ready to try again. Although there was no sign of her and hadn't been in more than a day.

"There are a few things you should be aware of. The first treatment is just a test to see how well you can tolerate the drugs. We do not think the dosage the researchers are using will be strong enough but it would be unwise not to try the lower dose first."

"What is this drug and what are the side effects, Carlisle?"

Jasper sounded both worried and suspicious but I pulled him down beside me as Carlisle began to explain.

"An experimental drug? Not even licensed for use on humans yet? And it's made from a lethal fish toxin? Are you sure about this Carlisle?"

"Sure? No, but I think it's Bella's only chance of a normal life. I will, of course, be guided by her, we can stop at any time."

I nodded,

"You said the doses the research uses were too low. Can you get hold of more of this toxin?"

He had the grace to look a little embarrassed,

"Ah, therein lies the problem. As the toxin is so dangerous to humans it is impossible to import enough of it or the fish, for our needs but…."

We waited wondering what had he done?

"Emmett and Peter have volunteered to supply our needs."

"How?"

"A little fishing trip I understand…..to Japan."

"Japan?"

"Yes, the puffer fish of the Indo-Pacific ocean region are the most toxic. So they decided to go straight there. By the time they get back we should have the results of the test with the low dose if you are still ready to go ahead that is Bella."

Before I could answer him Jasper jumped in,

"Tell us about the side effects first Carlisle."

He nodded,

"Of course. Well, as I said the toxin is extremely potent and can kill a human if ingested. However, we are talking about a carefully controlled medical treatment here. We are equipped to deal with most problems caused by the toxin."

"Which are?"

Jasper felt Carlisle was prevaricating and was getting uptight so I laid my head on his shoulder and he pulled me closer, proximity always helped us both relax.

"The mild effects first are numbness or tingling of the extremities and lips, nausea and vomiting. I know you've been through this recently Bella but unfortunately, there is little I can do about it although I will up the dose of anti-nausea medication we give you."

"That's OK Carlisle, it's a great way to lose weight."

I was trying to lighten the mood although inwardly I cringed at the thought of more vomiting, my stomach muscles were still sore from the last time!

Jasper wasn't finished yet, although I wished he wouldn't push so hard, I wasn't sure I really wanted to know the rest and I was pretty sure Carlisle didn't really want to tell me.

"I take it there are more?"

"There are but I am hoping we won't get into that territory with Bella. Her vampire genes little though they are will help with this Jasper. Besides, there's little point in scaring Bella until we see how the lower dose affects her. I was considering adding some venom to the mix, it might just help."

I cut short any more questions,

"Fine, when do we start? Can I see Emmett and Peter before they leave?"

Again Carlisle looked a little embarrassed,

"They have already left Bella, they understand the urgency of this and they didn't want to keep you waiting."

I was grateful for their thoughtfulness and their kindness although I couldn't see Emmett and Peter sitting on a riverbank with fishing rods for hours on end. I think Carlisle could see my thoughts on my face because he continued.

"Of course finding the fish won't be easy, I think it will mean diving in the ocean for hours at a time and then, of course, they have to get the fish safely to Rosalie who is setting up a temporary lab so she can extract the toxin."

"Oh! I'd had thoughts of them coming back with ice bags full of dead fish but of course, the toxin would probably lose its potency once the fish were dead."

"They could have brought the dead fish back of course but they would have to be smuggled in and that could be difficult. It will be easier to bring in the toxin itself."

When Carlisle left I asked Jasper to bring the laptop over so I could read about these puffer fish which turned out to be an ugly fish that could inflate enormously. Reading about the flesh being a delicacy in some countries, mainly Japan made me stop, were they mad? Why would you chance to eat a fish that could if incorrectly prepared, kill you? After that, I stopped reading. I didn't want Jasper to see any more of the side effects because I had a feeling they were going to be pretty horrific and he was tense enough as it was.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty Five**

 **Peter**

Fishing! Fucking fishing! The things I got myself tangled up in for The Major I just hoped he would remember this next time I pissed him off. The flight was OK, I won a million dollars off Emmett playing cards, virtual money of course! As for Japan, well it was different but I didn't see many paper houses or girls dressed up like fucking Christmas presents, all bows and shiny material with knitting needles in their hair. There were some pretty girls though and Emmett and I got a few smiles and giggles from them but of course, we are both happily married men so we averted our eyes and walked on. I wondered if Rose or Charlotte would believe that story?

Finding the fish was turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought but of course thinking about it the ocean is a vast fucking thing and those slippery little bastards aren't that big. We couldn't ask local fishermen to take us out, they'd want to know what we were going to do with the puffer things but we did get talking to an old guy who moved here from Arkansas fifty years ago and took up fishing. Turning talk to the puffers we found out all about the suicidal ass holes who insisted on playing Russian roulette eating Fugu, which it turned out was the name used for the fucking things in restaurants. It's a bit like going into a diner and asking for rattlers on toast, live! Anyhow he told us where he used to fish for them and we rented a boat to take us out there, luckily Emmett knew a bit about boats, I suggested swimming but as he pointed out we needed somewhere to keep the fuckers, we needed quite a few, and it meant somewhere for Rosie to suck the venom out or whatever it was she was going to do with them, I for one didn't need the details.

 **Emmett**

Peter and I lucked out on our first dive despite staying down for several hours. We saw plenty of fish, just not the ones we were looking for. All that exercise burned up energy and after a second also failed attempt we swam back to the mainland to hunt. For Peter it wasn't difficult finding prey, he was spoilt for choice, but finding some privacy, now that was a different thing altogether. He eventually settled for a trio of rough looking dock workers and while he drank his fill I kept watch then helped him sink them in the murky harbour waters with concrete blocks roped to their waists.

Then it was my turn and I found to my dismay that bears were not resident this close to the coast and we didn't have time to "Fuck about" as Peter put it but I did find some Sika deer, much like deer at home but boy could these swim. Peter had a great time laughing himself silly as I swam out to catch a couple who panicked. Draining them while swimming wasn't easy so I sank to the bottom taking them with me. When we got back Rose told me that Carlisle had been in touch to say he was going to begin the experiment with the stuff we'd broken in to get the formula for and asking how long we were going to be. So, no pressure then!

The next morning we split up hoping to find them by covering a wider area. I'd been swimming for about an hour when I got a prickling sensation on the back of my neck, there was a predator nearby. There was nothing in the sea that could kill a vampire but I knew these waters were home to sharks, some of them big ones and I wasn't sure if a big enough shark could exert enough pressure to snap an arm or leg off and I really didn't want to find out the hard way.

The shark, however, had other idea's, I felt a bump like I'd hit against something and I whirled around looking for what had hit me. There was nothing in sight although visibility in the water wasn't great but then I saw a grey blue torpedo shape headed for me moving fast, really fast and only just spun enough for it to miss me or so I thought but then I felt a bump, it was a lot faster than I had thought, manoeuvrable too.

It's next attack I almost grabbed it, missing by less than an inch but it missed me too and on the third attack I was lucky, I grabbed it by the tail and hauled it in. The damn thing must have been twenty foot long, all muscle with a strangely rough texture to its skin, not smooth or slimy like I expected. It put up a good fight but in the end I was just too strong for it and I crushed the life out of the fish watching as it's black eye, already looking dead finally rolled up and it stopped moving. I didn't fancy trying shark's blood but Rose might so I swam back to the boat towing it behind me.

Peter was already aboard looking smug, a look which intensified when he saw me haul the shark aboard.

"Emmett, I hate to burst your bubble but that is not a puffer fish, it's a fucking shark. The size should have been a clue."

"I know, it tried to eat me, I never realized how fast they are."

"Maybe it was you being slower than you thought."

I guess I'd expected more but insults were Peter's stock in trade so I should have known better!

"Now some of us have maintained focus and picked up what we came here to find. Your good wife is busy milking the little fuckers as we speak."

"Milking them? They aren't cows Peter."

"Oh, so you're observant after all. Well, whatever you want to call it Rosie is doing. I found six, not bad for a first timer. Looks like I might need to get more if you're going to spend your time dicking around with your new friends."

There was a satisfying splash as he hit the water, propelled by a huge shove from yours truly.

Rose gave us a good dressing down when she came on deck and found us rolling around, each trying to throw the other overboard. Seeing how angry she was we apologized and went back to the job in hand, finding more of the fish. When we finally met up again I had caught four, not a good number but then while they were pretty crappy swimmers they did blend in with their environment pretty well and some blew up so large I couldn't remove them from between rocks where they were hiding.

Peter came up with another four and thankfully Rosie was satisfied we had enough. We were ready to head for the airport and home but it seemed Rosie still had about eighteen hours work to extract the venom from the fish and do whatever she had to do with it so Peter and I decided to have some fun, we went shark hunting.

We left our clothes on board to dry off and dived in racing each other for the area I'd seen a couple of decent sized sharks on my last outing. We were in luck, they were still cruising the area and we tossed for the biggest, Peter winning which had him whooping madly and jumping high out of the sea before taking off after it. I took my time, after all, I had a healthy respect for the fish now, besides we were in its environment, the place it was the apex predator unless man intruded and I was content to watch it hunting its prey just like we did ours.

When I climbed back aboard Rosie was on deck stripping down to her underwear to go for a swim while the toxin did whatever it had to do.

"Wanna get naked and fool around?"

She looked at me, one eyebrow arched in a way that gave me the shivers.

"With Peter the pervert liable to turn up at any second? I don't think so Em, but we can find a deserted beach if you like."

I liked that idea and we swam to the nearest deserted beach and made love under the full moon, life was just about perfect for me right now.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty Six**

 **Bella**

I had expected the worst so I was pleasantly surprised when at first I had few side effects. Yes, I felt sick but not as bad as before, whether due to the drug or the extra anti-nausea medication Carlisle gave me I wasn't sure. My hair which had begun to grow back, like a dark fuzz on my scalp right now, didn't fall out again although sometimes I wish it had, the itching was driving me mad! Jasper wouldn't leave my side, I think he thought I might disappear if he did, he held my hand constantly and I found that very reassuring and comforting. My lips and fingers tingled a little but nothing I could say was really annoying and I began to feel more optimistic.

I should have known better I guess. Carlisle decided to up the dose, he had enough to double the strength in the next round of therapy and he was going to mix vampire venom with it.

"I'm afraid you'll find this even less pleasant but I'm hoping your body is becoming more tolerant."

"Is there any change at all?"

I asked the same question every day, hoping for a positive answer and this time I was happier.

"I think we are on the right track although the changes are minute, it's going to take a lot more if we're going to cure you, Bella. I heard from Rosalie by the way, she and the boys have finished collecting puffer fish venom and are on their way home."

I should have greeted this more cautiously, after all, it meant more bad times ahead for me but I just wanted to be well, to be a real wife to Jasper and this was the only way.

The next day Carlisle set up a drip with the higher dosage and we waited for the effects to make themselves known. It wasn't a long wait, within half an hour I was heaving my heart up, my arms and legs were numb and I was in pain, all over my body. Jasper, against my wishes, helped with the pain, I was too weak to complain much, and Carlisle was upping the anti-nausea meds yet again.

These helped, the sickness became less violent and I found I could swallow iced water. The numbness was more a tingling now and Carlisle wondered if the venom was helping my symptoms but until he could take blood samples when the infusion finished he wouldn't know. I suddenly felt very weak and tired, unable to keep my eyes open and I fell asleep clutching Jasper's hand like a life preserver.

 **Jasper**

I wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing but I couldn't have stood Bella's suffering of earlier for much longer.

"Is this going to work Carlisle? She's already gone through so much, she can't take much more."

He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder,

"Yes, I think it will work, provided her body can take the toxin, the venom may help, I'm hoping it will kick start the change for her which will, of course, make her stronger."

I nodded, I felt weary myself, weary with worry, at the thought of what Bella was going through and the fear of losing her. I lay my head beside hers on the pillow careful to keep a distance in case she began to sweat again or vomit and watched her sleeping face, peaceful for a little while sleep providing a respite from the side effects of the treatment. If only she could sleep through it all but she was still part human and needed to eat and drink, pee and most of all know I was near.

 **Carlisle**

I kept in touch with Rose and she was able to do most of the preparatory work as the fish were brought to her. Although I had tried to appear confident to Jasper I wasn't sure that A. The toxin would work and B, Bella was strong enough to withstand the side effects which could be dire. Before starting the final treatments I would need to explain to the couple that Bella would probably need a lot of support during it. The chances were that she might become paralyzed, unable to swallow or breathe for herself and she would need morphine to help with the pain. It sounded so awful when said like that but I didn't think I could keep such things from my patient and Jasper wasn't going to leave her side so I would have to persuade him that it was for the best. What I would do if things went wrong and we lost Bella didn't bear thinking about. It would mean losing Jasper too but what devastation he might wreak before he joined her I hated to think about. I would ask the boys to take Esme, Charlotte and Alice away to safety. It might be best if only I stayed to look after Bella but I knew Rosalie would refuse to leave her patient too and that meant Emmett staying too.

 **Bella**

When I woke up I felt a little better, at least my stomach was no longer trying to exit through my mouth as it had the last twenty-four hours! When I opened my eyes I saw Jasper's face close to me and as our eyes met he smiled, a dazzling smile that reminded me of our wedding.

"Hi, how are you feeling now?"

"Better for seeing you. Have I been asleep long?"

"About six hours. You looked so peaceful I decided to give you a little longer."

I frowned,

"You kept me asleep? Are you taking away my pain now?"

He sat up stretched and shook his head,

"No, there's no pain. Carlisle took some blood about an hour ago so he should be back with news soon. Esme wanted me to tell her when you woke up, she's made you some chicken soup. Do you think you could try some?"

I thought about this, my stomach was behaving, my muscles not too sore, yes I could try, I was hungry.

Esme brought it in herself a few minutes later and the wonderful smell that accompanied her made my mouth water. Propped up on pillows and fed by her a small spoonful at a time I managed almost half the bowl before putting up my hand to stop her.

She put the bowl down, wiped my mouth and held up a beaker,

"Try to drink Bella, we don't want you getting dehydrated,"

I knew one of the drips held saline but I wasn't going to say anything, being mothered felt nice, a sensation I had forgotten for far too long.

Jasper stood at the door, the place he had occupied when I first saw him but this time his eyes were full of the warmth of love. He was giving me space to be mothered even though he would have preferred to be the one fussing over me. Only when Esme finally left did he take his place beside me once more and I dozed against his shoulder, my hand on his thigh wishing it was his naked skin I could feel under my warm fingers, feeling regret it could not be.

Carlisle came in with a sheaf of papers in his hand and nodded,

"It's not as much as I had hoped but we are on the right track. I'll take more blood in a few hours and see if there is any change."

"What about more?"

He shook his head,

"No, I think we'll wait for Rosalie to get back. Give you a rest, besides I don't have enough left to make it worthwhile. Esme tells me you've eaten which is good. I'd like you to eat little and often over the next twenty-four hours, try to drink too. If you agree I'll take the drip down."

I nodded eagerly, I hated needles and the thought of losing the drip was wonderful. With a grin, he took the cannula out carefully covering the hole with a large dressing then winked,

"I'll leave you two alone for a while but do not tire her out and do not let her talk all day Jasper, she needs to rest."

He needn't have said the last, I knew Jasper would soon send me to sleep, to regain strength for the next and hopefully final fight.


	47. Chapter 47

_**Chapter Forty Seven**_

 _ **Jasper**_

I knew something was wrong, I could sense it. Bella wasn't as warm as she usually was, her heartbeat was slower and her breathing more shallow. I looked up from where I had been studying her face, a face I had fallen in love with the moment I saw it. Horrified I shouted for Carlisle ripping the door from its hinges in my haste to get help. Looking back I could see how close I had come to death in ignorance of the fact that Bella was bleeding. The bandage Carlisle had put over the site of the cannula was saturated and the sheet too, the blood was soaking up the blanket covering my wife and had reached less than an inch from where my head had been, next to hers on the pillow.

He and Esme came running followed by the rest but Charlotte took one look and ushered them back outside propping the door back in place and from the sound of things situating herself on guard outside it. While Esme hastily pulled on gloves and started stripping the bed Carlisle cut the bandage off then pursed his lips.

"Her blood isn't clotting, I should have foreseen this might happen. Don't worry Jasper I can stop it, she'll be fine. Now go and fetch the plasma out of the fridge over there and wheel the drip stand back. Do not touch her though, not until we clear up the blood."

While Carlisle worked efficiently putting in a new cannula and setting up the plasma drip I stood by helpless to do anything but pray. Esme, now wearing a plastic apron and gloves had taken the sheets and blankets, pillows and mattress protector from the bed rolling Bella only as much as necessary and had stuffed them in a bucket.

"Jasper, take these out and burn them, bucket too, while I clean Bella up, and tell the others there's nothing to worry about, send them away but Jasper…. do it kindly, they care,"

I hated the idea of leaving Bella even for a few minutes but Esme was much better at this than me so I did as I was asked telling the others Bella was bleeding heavily and needed a transfusion and quiet. They left but only after I promised to tell them any news as soon as I had it. Charlotte waited until they had dispersed then took the bucket from me carefully, first pulling a spare pair of gloves from her pocket. Seeing my look she smiled,

"I thought it might be as well to be prepared for anything. You go back in, I'll dispose of all this. Drop your gloves in too."

I peeled off the gloves Esme had handed me before the bucket and I went back inside relieved to see Bella laying back in a clean bed, the drip replenishing the blood she had lost and her arm tightly bandaged in white again.

"The plasma has factors in it to help with clotting. Don't worry Jasper, it was always a possibility but Bella had been doing so well, Still, I should have checked. I could have lost both of you, forgive me, son."

 **Bella**

I knew from the way that Jasper was hovering over me that something was wrong but when I saw Esme sitting in the chair in the corner with some sewing I realized it was something serious and when I tried to sit up I felt so weak and felt a tugging on my arm, the drip was back!

"What happened Jasper?"

Even my voice was weak and I was becoming really scared.

"Hush Bella, it's OK. You just lost a little blood, Carlisle said it was nothing to worry about, it just didn't clot and he's giving you some plasma."

His voice was so sweet and reassuring I decided there really was nothing to worry about after all then Esme came over,

"Do you feel hungry or thirsty Bella?"

I shook my head, I was too tired to eat or drink, all I wanted to do was sleep for a while and I closed my eyes once more.

 **Esme**

Catching Carlisle alone wasn't easy until he hid away in his lab to prepare for the arrival of the toxin and I finally caught up with him there,

"Darling I need to talk to you about Bella."

As always when caught up in some new problem he answered me absent-mindedly,

"Talk? Bella? Why?"

"Have you really studied her Carlisle? I'm scared for her and what you intend doing."

"I'd love to stop and talk Esme but I'm a little busy right now. Can it wait?"

He was already rummaging in one of the cupboards muttering to himself so I caught his arm and swung him round to face me,

"No, it cannot wait, now sit down Carlisle, I need to talk to you."

He sighed but sat down in the chair I indicated,

"Will this take long Esme? I have a lot to do and Rosalie will be back soon with the toxin."

"Carlisle, stop and take a good look at your patient. She isn't a vampire and she's not completely human either."

"I know that Esme, I'm not blind."

"I think perhaps you are, you can't see the wood for the trees. Is Bella strong enough to survive this treatment? She's weak already and now there's the added complication of this blood clotting."

He sighed heavily and rubbed a hand across his face wearily.

"I understand your concern darling but I do know what I'm doing and….if I tell you something I want your word you will not repeat it to anyone…..anyone at all."

I agreed uneasily,

"Bella made me promise not to stop trying, she said she would rather die than live unable to be a wife to Jasper. She said her whole life has been ruled by others and now she is taking control so you see Esme I have no choice but I will do everything in my power to save her."

Of course, it was just the kind of thing Bella would do and I knew Jasper would refuse to allow it if he knew but then we both understood that a life together under the restrictions that now applied would be impossible for both of them.

"Does she understand what will happen if she dies?"

"To Jasper? Yes she does but I think she would rather be with him in another world than be kept at arm's length in this."  
Again I understood although I hated it, I would not lose two of my children, not if I could help it.

"What can I do to help?"

He smiled, knowing I was with him all the way,

"If you can get her to eat it would help but other than that….pray my love, it's all any of us can do in the end, it's down to her strength of will really.

Making something I thought might tempt her Edward joined me in the kitchen wrinkling his nose at the aroma of beef casserole cooking. He sat on the edge of the table watching me peel potatoes for mash then spoke up.

"I had a feeling this was going to be dangerous but it seems even more so. Do you think it's fair to keep Jasper in the dark?"

I whirled on him poking him in the chest with the small knife I held to add emphasis to my words.

"Edward Cullen, you open your mouth and I will slice your tongue out. Whatever you just heard in my thoughts you keep to yourself, do you understand? Just because you can find things out does not give you the right to blurt them out to whomever you choose. Carlisle and Bella have an understanding, a private understanding and it is going to stay private."

He stared at me open mouthed, sweet motherly Esme threatening him? It came as a shock but I didn't care,

"Do you understand?"

He nodded,

"Yes, I understand. Actually, Bella isn't so bad as I expected. She's brave and determined and I like that. Jasper needs someone like her, they fit together just right. Can I do anything?"

I softened seeing that he meant what he said and smiled shaking my head sadly.

"I'm afraid there's little any of us can do except pray Carlisle and Rose are right and that it works."

"I'm going to pick them up from the airport in a couple of hours. Will it take long to prepare the stuff?'

"I don't think so. Rose did most of the preparation on the boat."

"So it could all be over in a day?"

"I wish I knew, Carlisle hasn't said how many infusions it will take but I really hope so, poor Bella is so weak now I'm scared for her."

"Yeah, me too Esme."

With that he turned and left the room but I had no fear he would tell anyone what he had discovered, he truly cared about Bella who had slowly won him over.


	48. Chapter 48

_**Chapter Forty Eight**_

 _ **Jasper**_

We knew Rose and the guys were back, in fact, Emmett and Peter had come especially to tell Bella of their daring adventures in Japanese waters hunting for puffer fish. I was sure they exaggerated, but Bella was entertained by stories of Emmett almost losing his manhood to a great white which Peter wrestled off him just in time. Of course, when Emmett told the story he was the savior and Peter the "almost eunuch" but it didn't matter, to see Bella laughing was balm to my soul.

But when Carlisle and Rosalie came to tell us they were ready to start Bella's treatment the atmosphere turned somber once more. I think I was more worried than she was, in fact, she forbade me to ask any questions.

"Carlisle will tell us all we need to know Jasper, why worry about things that might happen until they do? I have every faith in him and Rosalie. Besides, I don't want to spend my last evening of peace worrying about all the horrible possibilities. Let's have a party, a Good Luck party."

I wasn't so keen but the others thought it a wonderful idea and soon everyone was crammed into the clinic room Bella had called home since her treatment began and Edward, along with Darius and Garrett played some party music for her on keyboard and guitars. Her eyes were shining and she had some color on her cheeks again so deciding this was good for her I joined in. We heard more tales of the Japanese adventure including the fight between Emmett and Peter that ended with Peter getting a ducking and an incident they had forgotten about when Peter dropped one of the fish and had to wrestle to get it out of a bilge when it swelled to double its usual size.

"I thought the fucking thing was gonna burst all over me and all Rosie could keep saying was don't hurt it. Don't hurt it! The fucking thing was trying to stick its beak in my eye at the time! They should carry a government health warning."

"They do idiot, remember?"

Peter scowled at Garrett who had pointed this fact out but then he burst out laughing, he wasn't going to spoil the atmosphere for Bella but I had no doubt that Garrett would need to watch his back once they left the party.

Esme

I called a halt when I saw Bella was flagging, she had eaten more than for days, not noticing as I added small amounts to her plate while she was distracted by the boy's stories. There was some color in her cheeks and I decided the party had been an excellent idea. Everyone made a point of saying goodnight to Bella and wishing her well for the next day knowing they wouldn't see her again until it was all over. Carlisle and I were the last to go leaving the couple in peace to prepare for the next day.

When Carlisle asked to speak to Darius and Peter I knew it concerned Jasper. He knew that if things became distressing their services might be required to take him away and calm him down. They agreed to stay close by and I could see that they too were worried. This toxin was so strong the amount from a single fish was enough to kill thirty grown humans and Bella would be treated with the toxin from more than one at a time. The side effects were horrific although he pointed out that there was no reason to suppose Bella would suffer all of them.

"What if she does, though? Can you keep her alive?"

"I have all the equipment if she goes into respiratory collapse or her swallowing fails. I think we should all think positively for her sake and Jasper's.

 **Jasper**

Bella slept in my arms peacefully all night, I had been prepared to help her along but it wasn't necessary, the party had worn her out. She was the lucky one, I spent the night worrying about what the next day would bring. I didn't want dawn to arrive but, of course, it did and with it Esme with a breakfast tray for Bella. She looked a little unwilling but we encouraged her and she eventually cleared the tray leaving only the yellow rose in its cut glass bud vase which Esme put on her bedside locker.

"If it gets hard Bella I thought you could look at that and remember better times."

"Thank you, Esme but I'll be fine, there's no need to worry."

How could she be so positive when I was terrified?

Shortly after this I helped her shower, or at least dried her hair for her, Carlisle had forbidden me to touch the water Bella bathed in or her wet body,

"We don't know that it is uncontaminated. If Bella has been sweating the water could be as lethal as her blood or sweat. I know it's hard for you Jasper but there is no point taking any chances, not at this late stage."

Back in bed wearing a fresh pair of pajamas, these sporting teddies, a gift from Alice, and with her short hair gleaming we waited for the horror to begin. Carlisle and Rose didn't keep us waiting long and when they appeared it was with a covered trolley and the dreaded drip stand.

"Are you ready Bella?"

She nodded managing a nervous smile and I understood it was a brave front she was putting on for my benefit. In return, I helped take away her anxiety and took her hand as Rose pulled off the cover from the small trolley now parked at Bella's bedside.

On it was a drip set and three small bottles containing an almost clear liquid, the puffer fish venom. There was a fourth bottle, larger with a silvery liquid inside, my venom. Carlisle had approached me for it the day before explaining that he wanted to have a good supply on hand in case it was needed.

"We thought you would prefer it if the venom was yours, Jasper."

Too right I would! But I was forced to leave Bella for a couple of hours that afternoon to replenish my own needs stopping to take whatever was close at hand, two small deer and a couple of squirrels, not my usual fare but I didn't care I wanted to get back to my wife's side as quickly as possible.

 **Carlisle**

We set up the first drip, the toxin from one fish, anti-nausea medication and some pain relief medication and as the drip began its work we sat with Bella and watched for the first signs of a reaction. We were not kept waiting long, within minutes Bella was sweating and complaining of tingling then numbness in her hands and feet. Her speech was next to go as numb lips made articulating words too difficult. I waited expecting her to become sicker but instead she seemed to stabilize much to Jasper's relief although Rosalie glanced at me questioningly and we both knew it was an indication that Bella's body was fighting the toxin and doing so successfully.

When the infusion finished Bella was complaining of a violent headache and feeling sick and Rose was only just in time with the bowl. We had all dressed to protect ourselves and that was just as well as she was sweating profusely too. Jasper helped with her headache and I gave her more anti-nausea medication which seemed to settle her stomach. She was very pale and said she felt exhausted, another side effect of the toxin so we decided to allow her to sleep and then discuss upping the dosage again although it was coming dangerously close to the levels I thought would be far too much for her body, even protected in some ways by her vampire cells, to tolerate but it was her last chance, there was no other way we could see to overcome the problem the cancer drugs had caused.

Of course when she woke several hours later still looking exhausted and still complaining of numbness and tingling in her hands and feet and nausea she wanted to go ahead. I felt duty bound to warn her of the dangers and of course Jasper immediately forbade me to treat his wife any more but Bella was too strong willed and determined to go on she talked Jasper round. In the meantime I called Darius and the others, I feared we would need their strength to control a nasty scene up ahead of us.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty Nine**

 **Bella**

I knew the risks but also the benefits and I understood our marriage would not last if we could not be intimate, the problems would tear us apart and I couldn't bear the thought of that happening. Bracing myself I told Carlisle to go ahead then allowed Jasper to kiss my forehead only once Esme had washed it and ensured it was free of sweat, I wouldn't lose him now through a careless act, not so close to success.

He had begged me again to stop now, but I couldn't and I explained why although I knew the consequences of y death for the others. I knew Jasper couldn't go on but I made him swear not to take his rage and anguish out on the others if the worst was to happen. I felt positive, scared but positive and Jasper felt that in me, it gave him the strength to go on with this as I had hoped it would and he sat by watching in silence as we began.

I watched as Carlisle released the drip valve and the colourless liquid made its slow way to the tip of the thin tube and dripped into the shallow stainless steel dish. Then he flushed my cannula through with saline and as the cold ran up my arm he connected the tube. I closed my eyes not sure what to expect but what happened was so terrifying I was convinced I was dying and maybe I was.

 **Rose**

Bella's reaction to the toxin was sudden and devastating, she broke out in a cold sweat and her body began to jerk, her teeth snap together as she experienced a series of seizures. At the same time, her breathing stopped and vomit spewed out between clenched teeth. At a nod from Carlisle, I called Darius and the guys wrestled Jasper outside screaming Bella's name, determined not to go. When they finally disappeared we had Bella hooked up to the respirator, the seizures slowly stopped, but the vomiting was harder to bring under control and she was in danger of drowning in it with the respirator in place. The only thing for it was to perform a tracheotomy and respirate her from there.

Fluids were coming from every orifice and there was no point in trying to clean her up until we got the symptoms under control so we worked in the fluids that could kill us if they found the slightest entry in our gloves or masks.

 **Carlisle**

Rose was beginning to panic,

"We're going to lose her Carlisle, her heart beat is becoming erratic and she's convulsing."

"Test her blood Rose and leave the rest to me."

I knew Bella was still conscious and aware of everything that was happening to her. The puffer fish toxin had that terrible effect on the human body, leaving the victim aware and suffering until the very end.

I held one violently shaking hand and looked into Bella's eyes,

"I'm here Bella and we will keep you alive I promise."

Rose came back in and I could see we had failed,

"The blood is still corrosive to vampire flesh, it's just not strong enough and she can't take any more. We have to stop Carlisle before we kill her."

I felt Bella squeeze my hand rhythmically to tell me she knew and she wanted me to go on. I hesitated and saw her trying to speak through lips that refused to work and a tracheotomy.

"Get the rest of the toxin and mix it with Jasper's venom."

Rose looked at me horrified,

"What? You can't mean to use it Carlisle, it will kill her."

"Just do it, Rose, if not I will and you stay with Bella."

She shook her head and took my place at Bella's side grasping the shaking hand and trying to wipe the vomit from Bella's mouth. The terrible noise of the respirator filled the room along with tiny sounds of distress from Bella, her flailing limbs hitting the bed frame and the drip stand rattling.

I picked up the bottles and tipped the two remaining ones into the drip bag along with Jasper's venom, this was a final desperate attempt that would either work or kill Bella but it was what she wanted, what she made me promise, to keep going until the bitter end.

When the drip was ready Rose begged me not to do this.

"Please Carlisle, don't, she's too weak, look at her. Think of Jasper, what will happen to him if she dies."

I smiled at her a little sadly, did she really think I didn't know all that? That I was disregarding Jasper's fate if this went wrong?

As the drip began to deliver its deadly cargo I stood by Bella, in her line of sight and tried to communicate with her, tell her this was it, the final throw of the dice. I think she understood, she tried to smile but conscious movement of her own body was really beyond her by this point.

As the alarms began to sound I disconnected them, why distress everyone unnecessarily? The machine kept her lungs functioning despite the retching that racked her body at intervals, they were dry heaves, she had nothing left to expel.

The sweat ran down her face to soak the sheets as her lips began to turn blue, we were losing the fight, medicine could do no more, it was down to her body and Jaspers venom to win this war if they could. Her hands lay limp in ours now, the paralysis spreading, even her eyelids could no longer hold open so I couldn't even communicate that way.

Rose stared at me accusingly and I understood why.

"If you want to leave that's fine Rose, I can handle things from here."

"You mean clean up her body when it finally shuts down? How could you put her through this Carlisle? This is torture pure and simple."

"There is nothing pure or simple about this Rose but don't give up on her, Bella hasn't finished fighting yet."

"How can you say that Carlisle? Just look at her."

 **Bella**

I could hear the conversation and wished I could speak to Rose and ask her not to be so hard on Carlisle, he was following through on his promise to me. I just wished I'd had more time with Jasper, to tell him how much I loved him, how grateful I was for his love, for our marriage and how sorry we had never consummated it.

I remembered our wedding day, the happiest day of my life even though it had been cut short by Aro's untimely arrival. My body was on fire but nothing worked for me, my muscles and limbs refused to do what I asked them and dragging in air to breathe was only possible because of the machine attached to me. I could smell my vomit and faeces but I was feeling too ill, in too much pain to feel embarrassed, in fact, to feel much of anything except an unutterable weariness. I just wanted to let go and float away from the suffering to a warm quiet place.

Rosalie's words registered, though, dying? No way, I had too much to live for, I had to survive for Jasper's sake. It was hard, exhausting work but I hauled myself back into the light of the agony and filth.

I have no idea how long I fought, how many hours I had to endure the pain and retching, the fear of the seizures when my body was in the control of some crazy puppeteer who bent and twisted my body into fantastic shapes. I tasted rubber in my mouth and vaguely understood it was there to stop me cracking my teeth or worse still biting my tongue off. The taste made me feel even more nauseous and my stomach muscles were so sore I thought my ribs might crack with the strain of the gyrations and dry heaves.

 **Carlisle**

I wasn't sure Bella's body could take much more, I had hoped Jasper's venom would help her, fight the damage to her organs and skeletal frame but as she subsided into what appeared to be a coma I wondered if I had lost my patient. Would she ever come out from this semi-death state? It might be she would slip away peacefully which would be a relief possibly to her but certainly not to the rest of us and I would bear the most terrible guilt and the grief of everyone else but especially Jasper.

I wondered where the boys had taken him and sent Rosalie out to find him and bring him back, now Bella was peaceful there was nothing to agitate him and sitting beside her he would know if she were still with us or fading away.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty**

 **Jasper**

I wanted to kill them for dragging me out but as I went I felt Bella's emotions, she was trying to tell me that she loved me. It was her idea to have our friends ready if I couldn't take any more. She'd probably known I would break down before this was through but I still fought for my freedom, for the ability to go back into that room if I chose to. They wrestled me out into the garden and across to the trees only stopping when we were out of sight and hearing of the house and Bella.

"If you promise not to try anything we'll let you go, Major, no one wants to hurt you."

"Actually, Darius I do, I'd like to break a few limbs if it's all the same to you."

We all looked at Garrett who was cradling a hand leaking venom to the ground and I vaguely remembered snapping at a flailing hand and feeling my teeth sink through a digit or two.

I nodded unhappily and their grip lessened but I knew they were ready should I try something so instead I sank to the ground. I was away from my mate who was suffering, possibly even dying and there was nothing I could do to help. My attitude and reaction had if anything made matters worse as I disrupted Carlisle's treatment of Bella, therefore possibly endangering her life even more. I felt wretched, a fool, but no one said anything in criticism of my actions in fact Emmett came to sit down at my side.

"I don't know how you stood it, Bella going through all that, it would have sent me crazy thinking of what they were doing to her even if I knew it was for her own good."

"But it's not for her own good Em, it's for mine. She's doing it all for me, so she can be a real wife to me."

"Ah, Major, I think we might be doing it for both of you really. I think Bella's as keen to be with you as you are to be with her."

Darius was right of course but it suited me better to think she was going through all the pain for me, unselfishly.

"Well, I'd be going crazy if she were my mate and I couldn't get her into bed for a tumble. She's rather delicious, or she was before they started pumping her full of that fish shit."

I saw red and threw myself on Garrett, more as a way of relieving the tension and guilt I felt than at his words. The others left us to work it out by ourselves which we did eventually and I felt a lot calmer although I had a nasty bite on one shoulder and a finger that needed fusing back on. Garrett, however, had come off worse, he was missing an entire hand and three fingers off the other. Emmett went off with him to locate them while Darius and Peter sat down with me.

"You finished fucking about now? Acting like an ass hole is not helping Bella, she's gonna need you more than ever when she gets over this. I reckon the girl will need a long holiday somewhere peaceful…...with a huge fucking bed."

Peter's grin that accompanied the final part of that statement made me smile momentarily,

"I think you're right Peter, I should be thinking positively, just like her."

"Yep, so get your head outta your butt and fucking do it."

His words had me thinking but Bella's thin white face kept intruding on my thoughts and I slipped into a silent reverie surrounded by my friends all willing things to go well for Bella and for me.

 **Rose**

Time seemed to slow and the room seemed to shrink until Bella's bed filled it, the only important thing in the world to us was her survival. She was fighting, every now and then she would twitch and open unseeing eyes. The only sounds the hiss of the respirator and the sound of the suction machine clearing her airways of mucus and bile. How could she possibly recover from this? She was no more than a slip of a thing worn down by weeks of fighting the radiation we had bombarded her with and the drugs we had been pumping into her. Now her organs were failing, the heart monitor showed this only too well in the thin line that snaked less, getting closer and closer to a flat line. Her lungs no longer worked and even the convulsions that had racked her body almost continually had slowed as if her brain was too tired to spark any longer.

Esme put her head around the door and the room expanded so we became aware of the outside world.

"How is she Carlisle?"

We didn't need to answer in words, expressions were enough,

"I think you'd better get Jasper quickly, he'd want to be with her and I'm afraid we are in danger of losing her Esme."

Esme gasped in horror and disappeared while Carlisle picked up a hypodermic and hunting for a vein took some blood.

"Why bother Carlisle? It hasn't worked, you can see that. Do you want to know how close we came? It won't matter to anyone, just that we didn't succeed, that she didn't make it."

Carlisle put the hypodermic down and turned me until I was looking straight into his face.

"Rosalie, there is one thing I have learned over the centuries, one important lesson. The situation is never hopeless until a patient dies and anyone who can't understand that should not be in medicine. Bella is still alive and until her body gives up the fight I certainly will not, to do so would be a dereliction of duty and would be letting down my patient, a patient who put her trust in my hands."

His words made me feel suddenly very small, a traitor to Bella, my sister, and my friend. With a nod and quiet apology, I went back to holding her hand and wiping her sweaty face with a cloth dipped in iced water. He might be willing to accept that he couldn't win every fight but it didn't mean he would stop trying.

Carlisle hadn't been gone long when Jasper appeared looking worn but composed. He bent over Bella whispering to her, telling her he was here, that he wouldn't leave her side again no matter what happened. Seeing she was in good hands I joined Carlisle in the next room where he was bent over a microscope and suddenly he looked very old, his shoulders hunched, as if this fight had somehow aged him just like Bella's blood would have done. I joined him putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort though whether for me or him I couldn't say, perhaps for both of us.

 **Jasper**

I didn't need Carlisle or Rose to tell me how close to death Bella was, I could feel it for myself. Her emotions were weak, like a candle guttering before plunging a room into darkness. When the light went out I would be the one in darkness, there would be no fresh candle to light my world again and I determined to follow her into the velvety blackness so we could be together at last.

I was aware of the monitor behind me, the hiss of the respirator inflating her lungs. Was she already gone? Was it just the last vestige of her brain activity I could sense? No, I would know when the flame truly flared out and my wife was no more.

I was aware of the door opening and Carlisle's quiet presence behind me and I stiffened waiting to hear the terrible news put into words, that would make it real and concrete. I picked up the cloth and dipped it into the cold water before placing it on her forehead, purely for something to do, to delay him speaking,

"Son."

I shook my head thinking don't say it, Carlisle, please don't say it, don't make it so.

"Son?"

There was a strange tone to his voice and I turned slowly to see him staring at me.

"Come with me, I want you to see something."

Was he mad? I couldn't leave Bella's side, leave her to die alone. But he took the cloth from my hand and gave it to Rose before steering me into the other room, over to the microscope.

"Look."

I did, unable to understand what I was seeing.

"Think son, you just picked up, a cloth soaked with Bella's sweat without wearing gloves. Do you really think I would have allowed that if I had thought doing so would kill you?"

Then I understood what I had seen, Bella's blood was being attacked by strange cells, vampire cells, my venom. Bella was becoming a vampire and she was no longer lethal to us, to me. I felt my legs go weak with relief and Carlisle's hand under my arm to steady me, my wife would live.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty One**

 **Jasper**

I was so relieved and now while Bella recovered I had to find somewhere special to take my beautiful wife for a belated honeymoon and I wanted to make it somewhere beautiful, special and quiet. This would be our first time together and I wanted someone secluded, somewhere we could be ourselves with no one to see us or restrain our actions. My body was already reacting to the knowledge that I could now make love to my wife and ached to do it but the suspense, the wait would only increase my hunger and make that first time even more special.

Esme and Carlisle offered me Isle Esme for as long as we wanted but I wanted somewhere private, somewhere no one would know, I didn't trust my dear friend Peter and he knew of Isle Esme. I swore if I found him standing on the doorstep grinning I wouldn't be responsible for my actions so I turned their offer down as gently as I could and they said they understood.

A tropical getaway was tempting but it was hard to find somewhere else private enough for our needs. So I looked elsewhere and found just the spot, somewhere I thought she would feel comfortable, my wife wasn't another Alice who loved all the five-star luxuries. We wanted somewhere more relaxing and homely. That, in turn, led to another thought, a home, would Bella want to stay with the family full time?

She had no family and I knew she loved having one, Esme is like a mother to her and her brothers and sisters. It was something I would have to broach with her but not yet, not until I could lay naked and sated with her in my arms, until then our future home could wait.

 **Bella**

I thought I was dead, I must be or I wouldn't be feeling so wonderful. There was a bright light shining through my closed eyelids and I could hear quiet noises, flowing water, whispered words, they must be angels talking. At least, after all, I had suffered I hadn't been cast down into hell but then I lived there for years with the very devil himself. I must have been forgiven the vampire lives I took and finally been allowed some peace. I listened hard but I couldn't hear my heartbeat and I knew I wasn't breathing yet I was conscious.

My only regrets were leaving my beloved husband behind alone and the family I had only so recently become a part of. I hoped Jasper would go on and find himself someone else to love, someone who loved him as much as I did if that were indeed possible. If only we could have had just one night together, to feel his lips on mine, his naked body heavy above me….but it wasn't to be. I had missed so much in my short life but at least I had died with someone who loved me, belonging to the most handsome man in the whole world.

I wondered what I would find when I opened my eyes, was I really alone or would I find other angels waiting around my bed to escort me to paradise? I almost giggled at that idea, I'd found paradise in life, how could I possibly find it again in heaven without Jasper?

Deciding it was time to awaken to my new state I opened my eyes very slowly. The bright light was, in fact, a light fitting above me, a familiar light fitting, the same one I had looked up at so many times when I had been sick. Surely I wasn't condemned to spend eternity in a ghostly facsimile of my sick room.

Suddenly I knew I wasn't alone, although I couldn't hear any movement I could sense another presence and turning my head, noting as I did so that the pillow below my head was crisp and fresh, I saw him.

Sitting up fast, very fast, I reached out a hand to touch him to make sure he was real but I found myself in his arms and then felt his lips on mine. I tried to pull back, if I were not dead then he would be very soon but when I looked at him from a few inches away he was smiling, his eyes dancing with joy.

"Bella, I've missed you but you're back with me now, for all time."

As his words sank in I understood, Carlisle and Rosalie had succeeded, I was a vampire and no longer toxic. That was all I needed to know and I threw my arms around his neck drawing him close and this time relishing the feel of his lips on mine, his tongue urgently requesting entry and I opened my mouth revelling in the feelings, the tingling all over my body and the taste of him in my mouth.

I think things might have become even more intimate but the door opened and I pulled away embarrassed only to see a beaming Rosalie standing there, the rest of the family crowding in behind her all eager to welcome me back. They came in all wanting to hug and welcome me with kisses and I found it all a little overwhelming. It had been so long. I haven't been hugged or kissed since I was a little girl. I felt so much warmth envelope me.

Once everyone had welcomed me they melted away leaving only my two "Doctors" and Jasper with me and me, listened as they explained what had happened. I'd been unconscious for a week! It had taken longer for me to finish the transformation because my body was so weak, in fact, they had been forced to intervene medically on more than one occasion as my human body was so weak it began to fail, unable to hang on, long enough for Jasper's venom to work its magic.

"You worried us a time or two Bella."

"But you did it, you saved me and I feel wonderful, thank you so much. Can I get up?"

Carlisle spread his arms,

"There is nothing to stop you, Bella, you are now free and healed. In fact, I think Jasper has some news for you so we'll leave the pair of you in peace. I'm just glad we could help."

Esme appeared then with smile and rushed over to hug me again,

"Bella you had me really worried there for a while. I was terrified of losing my newest daughter."

I felt a glow hearing that, a daughter, that was the second most wonderful thing that had happened in my life since I met the Cullens.

"I know jasper has something organized for the next few weeks but I hope you'll come back afterwards, before you make any more decisions, as a special favor to me."

I looked at my husband to see what he thought, I had no idea what Esme meant about Jasper having something organized, I was happy to come back to the only family I had known in so many years but maybe he had other ideas.

He smiled at me then nodded,

"Of course, we both owe you a lot for all the kindness you showed Bella. But the next few weeks are ours, and only ours."

I didn't have time to collect my thoughts, I didn't even have time to talk to anyone else. I showered quickly while Jasper got the car ready then looked for my clothes but all I could find was a bag containing a pale blue dress and matching underwear and a pair of sandals.

"I'm afraid Alice insisted on shopping for your honeymoon so be careful."

I nodded at Esme's warning, I'd seen the kind of things Alice wore, all very feminine and alien to me, still it might be fun although I hoped I wouldn't wear clothes for too much of my honeymoon!

We were seen off in style as if there had been no gap between our wedding and the honeymoon which was strange but wonderful too. Shoes and tin cans streamed behind us but they didn't look like old worn out shoes, to begin with anyway. I sat in silence for a few minutes feeling suddenly out of my depth.

"It's not too far, we're flying to the lodge."

"Lodge?"

He explained it was a lodge in a remote resort in Alaska, part of a complex but each lodge was secluded. As he said secluded he looked at me with a wicked grin and I knew if I were still human I would have blushed.

That thought brought more with it,

"Jasper, I thought newborn vampires were all wild and bloodthirsty, how come I'm not like that?"

"I spoke to Carlisle about that while you were recovering, I knew if you were going to be a normal newborn I would have to make certain plans but he said as you were partly vampire already and used to the taste of blood and the thirst even if only to a small degree that you wouldn't need the normal newborn phase, to learn about being a vampire. So, I planned accordingly but if you get a sudden urge to attack just let me know and I'll whisk you away."

I slid closer to him placing a hand timidly on his thigh feeling the flex of his thigh muscles as he changed gear with a frisson of excitement.

"Maybe you can keep me otherwise engaged."

His smile widened,

"You can put money on that darlin'"


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty Two**

 **Bella**

I'd never been on a plane before and I'd never seen snow so it was doubly magical for me and with Jasper at my side I was in heaven. When we finally reached our destination I was taken aback. When Jasper had told me we would be staying in a lodge I hadn't known what to expect, maybe a large wood cabin but this was nothing like a simple wooden cabin.

The cabin was secluded which was good but so elegant, with crafted furniture all leather and wood and the most beautiful stained glass windows and had a wrought iron stove for warmth. It was like being in a time capsule amid the forests and snow covered mountains as a backdrop. There was a huge feather bed and a large bathroom while the sitting room looked out over the Chitinia River. Jasper told me that there were only twelve guests but that we probably wouldn't see any of them.

"I think we can make our own amusements don't you?"

I smiled and nodded taking his outstretched hand and allowing him to guide me into the bedroom.

We didn't use the huge tub until the next day spending all our time until then in the bed making love. I had been very nervous, I had no idea what to do, I was embarrassed at the thought of being naked in his presence although excited at the same time and curious to see my husband naked. He took his time with me, kissing me and caressing me before slowly stripping my clothes off a little at a time whispering away my embarrassment, telling me how beautiful I was.

I hardly noticed him undress but suddenly he was beside me naked, his hands roaming hungrily over my body and making me gasp with pleasure as lips followed fingers on my breasts and thighs. I couldn't have imagined how a body could feel when touched by her lover, her husband.

When he finally leaned over me, his dick throbbing against my thigh I was wet and moaning, feeling a terrible need to feel him inside me. I had felt his fingers and his mouth bringing me to heights I couldn't have imagined and then holding me there until I screamed for him to stop then take me even higher before allowing me to explode and find myself falling a quivering heap into his arms. I had no idea how I could take such a size inside me but he was gentle and slow and before I knew it he was there pulsing and stretching me as I gasped and grasped him tightly to me trying to pull him further inside me.

He was so much in control that he could stop allowing me to go beyond then wait until I could scream for him to take me before moving once more, kissing me, pulling out to use his hands and mouth again. If I had been human I couldn't have kept up with him and I thanked my vampire state for allowing it.

When he finally allowed himself to orgasm along with me he fed on mine and projected his back and we both screamed in ecstasy before collapsing together and laying in the peace and comfort of our lodge, the sun coming up slowly to reach first our feet and then eventually making both our bodies glisten in its rays, tangled together as they were.

 **Jasper**

I couldn't get enough of my beautiful mate, the feel of her hands on my body, her lips on mine, it was almost impossible to control myself but I had vowed to make this first time special and however hungry and excited I became I controlled my emotions, shut down my own desire to climax and concentrated on her. Bella's body showed no signs of the trauma she had been subjected to but I knew mentally she was still fragile and I made sure she forgot about everything that happened before this, that her past was truly in the past and her future would be as wonderful and safe as it was right now.

 **Bella**

We eventually roused ourselves to use the huge tub which of course led to other things and it was almost a week before we dressed again and went out to explore the area. Walking and running were great fun now I was a full vampire and we climbed the mountains I had seen from our windows. The air was so clear and fresh and I had my first hunt and kill up there. A bear which I almost ended up fighting as I overshot the _**mark**_ and landed about five feet in front of it. In some ways, I felt guilty killing such a magnificent creature but then Jasper reminded me if I hadn't then some hunter was likely to and at least the bear served a purpose feeding me, its fate could have been to be stuffed and mounted, a terrible end for it and made me feel much happier.

We did meet another couple also on their honeymoon but declined their offer of having dinner together. Just as well, they wouldn't have enjoyed our meal and we certainly wouldn't have enjoyed theirs, we did, however, join them for a trip to the glacier which was nice although strange being around humans who were slower and weaker than us. It was good practice for me though as Jasper pointed out, I had to learn how to hide my vampire traits from humans now I was completely vampire. I didn't find it that difficult after all I had learned much already when I was on the run from Diablo as a part vampire.

 **Jasper**

I hadn't been sure when the other couple attached themselves to us, chatting away on the trip to the glacier, they had only just arrived and seemed a little nervous with each other. Bella had no experience with humans since becoming a full vampire and I wasn't sure how she would react to their proximity so I monitored her emotions closely ready to act if it became necessary but I needn't have worried. She sailed through it, possibly because she had spent time among humans when she was on the run from James or perhaps just because was her nature to accept her surroundings whether populated by humans or vampires.

 **Bella**

The rest of the time we spent alone, making up for the months when we couldn't do more than hold hands. I would never get enough of the feel of his lips on mine, his naked body pressed against mine and I thanked my lucky stars for meeting the Cullens and Jasper in particular. We borrowed snowmobiles, skis and even went canoeing on the river although I refused to try fishing, I'd had more than enough to do with fish, enough to last me an eternity.

When I asked Jasper how much longer we had in the lodge he told me one more week and I was astounded to find we had been here a month already. Knowing how much I was enjoying myself he had arranged the extra week but I knew this fairytale would have to end although my Prince Charming would still be at my side forever.

 **Jasper**

I had no idea what Bella wanted to do with the rest of her life and I didn't care so long as I was by her side. The only plan we had was to return to the house to fulfil our promise to Esme although I had a sneaky feeling there was more than just a need to see Bella safe and happy once more. What was in the wind I had no idea and I kept my suspicions to myself as we left the lodge for the last time.

"Jasper, can we come back here sometime? It's so magical I couldn't bear to think I will never see it again."

"Of course, we can come on our anniversary if you like."

She grinned mischievously,

"Which one? Our wedding anniversary or our honeymoon anniversary? Or the anniversary of me becoming a real vampire?"

I kissed her cute face,

"Any, or all, you choose Mrs. Whitlock."

She snuggled closer to me on the plane that took us back to the world with a sigh,

"I'll have to think about that, Mr. Whitlock. I wonder why Esme wanted us to go straight back there."

"Well, we'll soon find out but for now enjoy the peace, I doubt she's managed to rid herself of Peter or Garrett yet, even if Darius has gone home."


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty Three**

 **Bella**

Of course, Jasper was right, along with the family waiting to greet us on the porch were Peter, Charlotte, Garrett and Darius and they all looked pleased to see us. As Jasper pulled up Esme flew down the steps to open my door and haul me out into a motherly embrace.

"Did you like the lodge? Jasper only told us where you'd been when he rang to say you were on your way back. It's a beautiful part of the world."

I nodded wishing in a way we were back there, the sight of all these people was a little overwhelming after the peace and seclusion of the previous weeks.

I was led inside and Esme insisted on a blow by blow account of the lodge and the surroundings and I showed her the photographs I had taken with Jasper's help. She helped me choose my favourites and borrowed my camera handing it to Darius who took it without a word and disappeared with Peter and Emmett, now I was getting uneasy. Why did they need the photographs of our honeymoon? However, I didn't get a chance to ask Esme because she insisted on taking me for a walk muttering something about Carlisle planning a new boathouse on the lake. I hadn't even been aware he had a boat!

The lake was some distance from the house but I guess that didn't matter much to we vampires. It did underline the extent of the house and grounds though. I hadn't really taken much notice before but the grounds were huge and apparently included the lake too.

The path took us winding through the trees and I became aware that the others were following her, hadn't they seen this boathouse plan either? There were excited murmurings but I couldn't quite make out any words but by the time we broke out of the trees into the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the lake I was sure there was something going on that concerned us, or at the very least, me. I stood looking at the lake wondering where this boat house would be built and pondering the lack of any craft on the water.

"Turn to your left Bella."

I turned at Esme's instruction to see the roof of a building peeping through the trees where the lake bent at an angle.

"Isn't that a little tall for a boat house?"

Everyone laughed and Esme took my hand pulling me forward until I could see the rest of the building. It was a house built right on the edge of the lake, stone walls on the ground floor and above that glass and metal. The views must be breathtaking especially at sunset with the sun going down over the lake and reflecting off the rippling surface of the water. She turned my hand over and placed a key in the palm.

"This is your wedding present, we hope you like it but if there are any changes you want, I'm sure they won't take long. We only just finished the last of the work before you got back."

I looked at her and then the key, stunned,

"Our wedding present? A house?"

Jasper appeared at my side smiling and led me to the front door up steps to a wrap around porch with a swing seat that allowed the user a view of the lake. Using the key he took from my hand Jasper opened the door and we walked inside. It was beautiful but not ostentatious with handcrafted furniture like that in the lodge and rag rugs scattered over a polished hardwood floor. The hearth was huge and I could imagine a roaring log fire in winter and Jasper and I making love before it. The room took up the whole ground floor and had bookcases, a desk and vases of fresh flowers scattered around on little side tables, it was wonderful. In one corner a wooden staircase led up to the glass and metal first floor.

As my head peeped above the floor I gasped, this was nothing like the ground floor, they could have been two different buildings. The walls were all glass and Esme showed me how with a click of a switch the glass changed from clear to obscured,

"You have the best of both worlds, the views when you want them and privacy when you don't."

The bed was enormous but the startling thing about it was that to one side of it was a huge aquarium lit from above and full of tropical fish in jewelled colours swimming around coral and weeds. Then I saw a dark shape appear, and then another, they were tiny sharks! As I knelt on the bed to study the aquarium closer I burst out laughing. Inside were two little model figures, naked and wrestling a dummy shark twice their size. The two had faces that were instantly recognizable as Peter and Emmett!

The floor of this storey was made of glass tiles in different colours lit again from below and more glass tiles made up the ceiling.

"You can program the lights to imitate the sky above or patterns, anything you like according to Darius."

I nodded a little stunned by what I was seeing and then I noticed a curved glass partition and following it round found myself in a bathroom complete with double shower and a huge tub with whirlpool. Now, there was plenty of room in there for two I thought. Here the walls were white and glossy but inside them, I could see the photographs, my favourites from our honeymoon surrounding a photograph of Jasper and I taken during our wedding. I ran my hand over the glass just to be sure the photographs weren't somehow stuck on it.

You can change the photographs when you want, they are projected onto the inside of the glass. Don't ask me how that's Darius' pet project and he'll explain it all to you."

She looked at me expectantly,

"Well? Do you like it? Of course, if it's too close to the family we will understand."

I grabbed Jasper's hand for support but also so I could see how he felt about the idea of living here. He noticed my look and winked, leaving it up to me to decide.

"It's wonderful Esme, how could I possibly want to live anywhere else after all the work you've put into this? All of you."

They had all crowded into the room and were smiling to hear my words, how had I been so lucky, the family, my family, had worked flat out to build this amazing house so it would be ready for us when we got back. I loved the feeling of belonging, I loved my brothers and sisters, Peter, Charlotte, Darius, and yes ever flirtatious Garrett and I loved the idea of being close enough to see my family as often as I wanted and having our own space when we wanted some time alone.

Going back outside I saw a little boat bobbing on the water by the landing stage,

"Yeah, that was our idea. We found ocean fishing a bit hair raising so we'll stick to the lake in future."

Peter and Emmett climbed into the boat and started up the little outboard watched by the others indulgently. Once about two hundred feet from shore they took out fishing rods and sat back just like a couple of fishermen.

"Bella, I promise you those two clowns will not become a permanent feature."

Charlotte was frowning at the two oblivious to her displeasure but I noticed Garrett and Edward grinning at each other, not a combination I thought of as usual and wondered what it was they found so amusing.

I didn't have to wait long, at first it was just a slight disturbance in the water behind the boat. Everyone noticed but no one said anything, we just watched curiously. Suddenly it speeded up and a huge shark emerged rearing up onto the bow of the small boat tipping its occupants into the lake before submerging again as silently as it had appeared. Everyone laughed to see the two of them emerge moments later dripping wet from the lake and seeing Garrett and Edward who were doubled over with laughter. Peter and Emmett ran off in pursuit of them as they disappeared into the trees. Esme shook her head but smiled indulgently as Darius appeared grinning.

"I might have known that had something to do with you, Darius."

"I just sourced the mechanised shark from the special effects store and set up the remote Esme, the rest was down to the others."

I sighed in happiness, I was going to love being a part of this crazy extended family.

THE END


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